The Difference Between You and I
by ohmyashlee
Summary: Taichi Yagami is a trouble maker bouncing from school to school before he ends up being transfered to Odohba High where Yamato Ishida attends and sparks start to fly in the most peculiar way. Taichi/Yamato, AU fic. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Meeting

_The Difference Between You and I_

Disclaimer: (I do not own Digimon or the characters that are in this fic. So don't sue me! I'm broke anyhow so you won't get anything outta me! U.U;)

(A/N: Whoo! This chapter was fun to write! is looking forward to writing more and more of this fic Of course, this Digimon fic is what happens when a bunch of my ideas and thoughts are combined into one story. Scary and weird, huh? XD

I have wanted to write a Taichi x Yamato fic (so this is a **SHOUNEN-AI/YAOI fic**. If you do not like boy x boy relationships then please leave now. I don't want to receive any flames so I'm warning everyone now. If you read it anyway despite my warnings then it's your own fault, okay?) for a while now but I could never think of what to base in on since I wanted it to be an AU fic. This story is something I made up, so it came from my thoughts and my mind. I'm not sure if there is already an existing fic that somehow resembles my fic but I assure you I'm not trying to steal or copy anyone else's story. Okay? Okay! ()

This will be my first time writing a shounen-ai fic so please be gentle, okay? Taito is one of my favorite couples of all time and I hope that the people who read each chapter will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing them)

Chapter 1: Meeting.

It was a cold day in mid-October when Yamato had decided to walk to school with his younger brother Takeru but of course it had never really been up to him if he were to go to school or not, his father was incredibly strict when it came to his education. A while ago he had thought that if it had been up to him he would have quit school a long time ago and concentrated more on his guitar playing and singing career but of course in time Yamato realized how stupid a move that would have been. What if he had failed at becoming a famous rock star? What then? Who would ever hire a high-school drop out? He wouldn't have a chance at life without the proper schooling.

Yamato had met up with Takeru at the stop sign in front of his apartment building and they jogged off to school as they usually did every morning. And every day seemed like the last, never changing. He got up, went to school, came home and afterwards he would either go to practice with his band or if he had nothing better to do he would just go to bed. His life was nothing special; it was extremely dull but he really had no right to complain.

Yamato lived in an apartment with his father. His parents had divorced when he had been only six years old. After many, many court meetings and arguments his mother had finally had enough. He could remember the day she left; it was nighttime sometime around 7:00 PM. His father had gone once again to court with his mother that day and it seemed that this was the day that all the disputes would finally be settled.

Yamato had been watching television when the front door burst open and his mother stumbled through the doorway. He immediately got to his feet both excited and a little frightened. He hadn't seen his mother in months because his father had forbid him from seeing her but now she was here he was happy to see her after all this time. She looked disgruntled, her makeup was smudged all over her face and her eyes had large black circles underneath them. He had never seen his mother look so tired or so unhappy. Yamato couldn't help but think it was his father who had done this to his mother, he was the reason why she was so unhappy and he was the reason why she was going to leave them.

His mother awkwardly made her way through hallway and grabbed a large suitcase out of the hallway closet then she headed towards what had once been her bedroom and carelessly began to throw her belongings into the suitcase. He came into the bedroom and stared up at her. He could remember debating whether or not to speak to her. Would she get angry with him if he spoke? Would she hit him? Hug him? Tell him that mommy and daddy were going to get back together after all and that this would all end soon?

Yamato finally worked up enough courage and approached his mother, asking her what she was doing.

She didn't look at him at first but after a moments silence before he knew it his mother had wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly to her chest. Yamato could smell the foul stench of alcohol and cigarettes on his mother's breath as she spoke to him in a barely audible voice, "You…t-take care of yourself, you hear?" She had trouble keeping herself upright and clutched her little boy's shoulders to keep her from falling. She was holding onto him so tightly that Yamato winced slightly in pain.

She was drunk and miserable. **She had had enough**. His mother had said the same things over and over again.

Yamato's babysitter, Rei, had heard the commotion from the other room and rushed over to see if Yamato was all right. He could remember the shock on the girl's face when she laid eyes on his mother. "M-Mrs. Ishida…" she said awkwardly, utterly dumbfounded. Rei reached over and pulled Yamato over to her and pushed him behind her, as if his mother was some kind of wild beast that he needed to be protected from, he was about to protest when his mother shot the girl a glare. "Don't call me that!" she exploded as she shakily got to her feet and grabbed her suitcase off her bed. It was still half open and many of her clothes and other things came spilling out as she made her away past them. He didn't even see her leave through the door. Just as suddenly as she had come she had gone, again.

--

His mother vanished after that and he never heard from her again. He couldn't even really remember anything about her anymore. It had been at least 11 years since that night and all he could remember little bits and pieces of what she looked like, her scent, the way she used to smile. He would sometimes have nightmares about that night she had left, but his mother had always been a faceless figure.

Yamato didn't miss his mother nor did he wonder why his parents split up, they had their reasons and he refused torture himself trying to figure out. Yamato had always supposed that being a mother and having to deal with a failed marriage at the same time had finally taken its toll on the woman. She had needed to be free of her burdens, one of them being her only child. Yeah, it was selfish, but it was her life. That was what he had convinced himself.

His father had gotten remarried a few years after Yamato's mother had disappeared and Takeru became his half brother. Half brother or no he and Takeru got along instantly. They had always enjoyed each other's company and hardly ever got into a fight with one another. Yamato loved having Takeru and his mother as a part of the family, with them around he felt as if his life actually had meaning and that maybe things were finally beginning to look up. He had hoped that someday he would be able to forget completely about his birth mother so he imagined he could truly find happiness. Of course the happiness and security that Yamato felt was about to yet again be disrupted by feuding parents. Things had seemed to be going so well for them but it seemed that his father preferred women other than his wife. Takeru's mother discovered her husband had numerous affairs while they were together and wanted a divorce. Things were settled rather quickly and their family was to be separated.

She had told Yamato and Takeru privately that she had tried to make things work but no matter how much she wished for it her husband refused to change. So, she refused to allow him to take advantage of her.

"I can't do it anymore. I just can't…" Yamato had heard her once say to her friends in the garden. Some had tried to counsel her, but most agreed with her decision.

The day that Takeru and his mother moved out of the apartment was one of the saddest moments Yamato could remember. He didn't want them to leave, he wanted them to be a family again but he knew that that was impossible.

"You'll be able to come over to our new place and see Takeru and I anytime you want. It won't be exactly like before but we'll still see each other."

Yamato knew that Takeru's mother was trying to make him feel better and he tried to at least smile for her but he just couldn't, instead he began to cry and she comforted him just like his mother, his real mother, should have done. When they left the apartment everything seemed so empty and cold. The rooms didn't have their usual warmth and cheerfulness that he was used to feeling when he entered them. Things wouldn't ever be as they had been before but he was happy that he could still see them at least.

Yamato had been angry with his father for a long time. He felt that he was to blame everyone's unhappiness. Why couldn't he have at least tried to change? Why did he constantly cheat? Why did he always hurt everyone?

It had now been 5 years since his father had gotten divorced for the second time. Yamato's daily routine was to meet his brother at the stop sign in front of his apartment building every morning so they could walk to school together. It wasn't really as bad as what he thought life would be like without his brother living with him, at least he got to see him every day and they sometimes hung out together.

Yamato's hatred for his father soon died out. There was only so long that he could live with his father and hold that kind of grudge inside of him. His father was a complicated man and like his mother he had his own reasons for doing what he did, not that they were at all right, but he was the kind of man that liked to take risks and chances. He was a stupid man, yes, but Yamato knew that he couldn't blame his father forever. He would just have to work out his own problems and somehow manage to move on. Yamato had made this vow a long time ago but he was still having trouble living through each day. Every morning he opened his eyes and got out of bed, it felt like another large amount of guilt had been added to his shoulders.

"…Yamato?" Takeru stood in front of his elder brother, surprising Yamato who had been lost in his train of thought. He made a face then turned his gaze away from his pouting brother. "What is it?"

Takeru narrowed his eyes at Yamato. "You've been acting strangely these past weeks. Is something wrong?" he asked, obviously concerned about his brother's welfare. Takeru was a caring person and he was also very protective of his loved ones. If he even got the slightest hint that there was something wrong with one of his friends or family members he would automatically try to get them to talk to him and see if he could help.

Yamato sighed and laid his hand on his brother's head, ruffling his hair a bit. "I'm fine. Really. I'm just nervous about the bands upcoming gig. I just don't want to blow it, you know?" Of course this was a big fat lie and Takeru knew it, the expression on his face clearly stated that he didn't believe one word that his brother had said. He knew better than anyone that Yamato wasn't self-conscious about being on stage or for that matter being in front of a big crowd. He loved to sing and play his guitar. That was the way that he expressed himself. Maybe there was another reason that Yamato refused to talk to him, but that was odd. His brother had never kept anything a secret from him before. They could always talk about things no matter what.

"Let's just drop it, okay?"

Takeru looked up at his brother, who was still refusing to make eye contact with him, and frowned. "Fine, fine, but don't think that I've given up just yet." He stated proudly then raced ahead of Yamato towards the school building. Yamato watched his brother quickly disappear into the crowds of students making their way inside Odohba High and sighed. He didn't like to keep things from his brother but how could he tell him or anyone else for that matter how he felt? How empty he felt as everyone around him went about their daily routine and how nothing ever seemed to change no matter how many days seemed to pass? How could he possibly tell Takeru that he sometimes couldn't sleep at all at night because his mind raced with a million thoughts at once?

The fact of the matter was that he couldn't tell anyone about what he was feeling inside. He had convinced himself that no one would understand.

"Yamato-kun!"

Yamato turned his head to see who had called his name just before someone came crashing into him and sending both of them to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ouch…" He'd know that voice anywhere. He slowly sat up, holding his head."Geez, I thought you were going to move…" A girl with bright pink hair moaned as she righted herself. It was Mimi Tachikawa, one of Yamato's closet and best friends. Mimi became fond of Yamato and at one point tried to ask him to go on a date with her, but Yamato turned her down as politely as he could just as he had every other girl who had wanted to date him.

"You're not normal…" Mimi had said to him and he agreed with her. He was weird. Any other teenage boy like him would be fantasizing about girls every waking moment and going on as many dates as humanly possible. Yamato was especially popular with the female students in Odohba High but much to the other guys surprise he had never once seemed interested in a single girl that came onto him or admitted that she liked him. He was odd, very odd.

Most of the girls he had turned down didn't bother to speak to him again but somehow he and Mimi had managed to stay friends and as each year had passed they became even closer. Yamato and Mimi had actually known each other for a long time; since kindergarten actually. Most boys in their classes growing up had a crush on her while all the girls despised her, calling her the "pigtailed devil." A nickname, which Mimi certainly lived up to, back then she was stuck up, spoiled and defiant. Well, she still was all of those things but she had matured a little over the years and wasn't quite as bad as she was when she was younger.

"Of course I didn't move out of the way, I didn't even know you were there." Yamato grumbled in an irritated tone as he helped the girl gather up the books she had dropped. Mimi shot him a glare but her anger quickly melted away, it was her fault after all but she wasn't going to admit it. She thanked Yamato when he handed her books back to her and they both stood to their feet. "Ugh, how pathetic. Still trying to get Yamato to go out with you, Mimi? We all know he's gay, why bother, sweetheart?" A boy from one of their class hooted as he passed by with a group of his friends trailing behind him. This group of boys were the most immature in the whole school and some of the dumbest. They cracked tasteless jokes and made fun of everyone who dared to cross their path. They had once had a name for their group but that name was soon forgotten when the students of Odohba High deemed them: "The Jackasses."

Much to everyone's surprise they actually took a liking to the name that was meant to make fun of them. Yamato seemed to be one of their favorite targets of abuse but he wasn't the kind of person that was easily rattled, he ignored them as best he could but when things started to get out of hand Yamato's friends stepped in at his defense. "The Jackasses" thought of themselves as high school gods and strangely enough they were popular but only to a certain extent. Most students tried their best to ignore the group or didn't bother with them at all. Both Yamato and Mimi glared at him and he quickly strutted away with his friends not far behind him.

"Lord, those boys are so immature." Mimi growled and crossed her arms over her chest. She turned to Yamato and had a look of concern in her eyes; apparently she thought that what the boys had said about him had gotten to him. "I'm fine," he told her quickly. "I ignore them, what they say doesn't bother me at all."

Mimi arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really."

Mimi smiled and took Yamato's arm in hers. "Good! Now let's go, we don't want to be late!" she cheered, marching forward towards the school and dragging an unwillingly Yamato with her.

**. . .**

"Good morning class." Mr. Tokayama said as he entered the classroom. The students, who had originally been chatting away and messing around, immediately went quiet and sat in their desks. No one dared to mess around in Mr. Tokayama's class. He was both mean spirited and strict, the last student who had gotten on his bad side had been suspended for two weeks from school, not to mention that he had a long, long discussion with the student's parents which would, in the end, make things worse for the student in question.

"Before I begin class today I would like to announce that we have a new student." Mr. Tokayama said, adjusting the extremely round glasses on his face and taking his place behind his desk. He motioned to the door to the classroom and all of the students leaned over their desks or turned their heads to see exactly who this student was.

Of course, all of the female students were hoping that it was another male student, a nice considerate, handsome male student specifically. And the guys were hoping for some hot girl to enter the classroom in a mini-skirt and wearing nothing but a sports bra on top. Yeah, like that would ever happen.

"Gee, I wonder what the new student will be like. I hope it's a good looking guy, someone like you but only he'd jump at the chance to date an exquisite beauty like me." Mimi whispered to Yamato, who had been scribbling down notes at the time. He looked up at her and rolled his eyes. _Mimi will never change_, he had thought to himself.

Everyone in the classroom waited but no one entered through the doorway. Mr. Tokayama cleared his throat and made his way over to the door, he poked his head out into the hall then appeared to be yelling at someone outside. The teacher straightened himself then turned and headed back towards his desk, a young man came trailing behind him. Yamato looked up at the boy who had for some reason immediately caught his attention.

The new boy was standing with his hands in his pockets, slightly slouched over with headphones around his neck, which probably explained why he hadn't entered the class on cue and had been yelled at. The boy had unruly brown hair and intense brown eyes. His skin was a little darker than most kids Yamato had seen before.

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" Mr. Tokayama looked over at the boy and glared at him, as if daring him to even try and embarrass him in front of his class.

The boy shrugged. "I'm Taichi Yagami. 17 years old. I love to sleep and I hate school and teachers like this jackass here--" He paused and jerked his thumb in Mr. Tokayama's direction and the room abruptly went quiet, except for some of the guys in the class who couldn't help but chuckle. It was the bravest and the stupidest thing they'd seen anyone do and Mr. Tokayama seemed like he was about to explode.

Yamato's gaze wandered from Mr. Tokayama to the new student and to his surprise he seemed to be looking right at him as well. Their eyes locked and Yamato suddenly got a strange feeling inside of him, something he had never felt before. It was odd, exciting and frightening at the same time.

"T-that will be all, Yagami. Take your seat and I will see you after class is over." Mr. Tokayama said and he seemed to be struggling to his temper under wraps. Taichi made his way forward and picked the seat in front of Mimi. "He's so cool," she mouthed gleefully to Yamato who only sighed in response. He was right. Mimi would never change. Taichi sat down without saying a word to anyone and turned, facing towards the window. Yamato looked over at him for a moment then he looked ahead as Mr. Tokayama began his lesson for the day.

**. . .**

"I don't like him." One of Yamato's male friends, Daichi, had commented while he proceeded to stuff his face. Daichi was the drummer in Yamato's band and another of his closest friends. He had a problem of speaking before thinking and he also had a bad temper, but he had a fierce loyalty to his friends. It was lunchtime and most of the students were all crowded into the lunch, talking loudly amongst themselves and forcing down the school's mediocre food.

"Well, I like him." Mimi stated, glancing at Daichi.

Ken, another one of Yamato's band mates, he played the keyboard, and he was also one of his friends, narrowed his eyes at the pink haired girl. "Oh please, don't tell me you've fallen for the guy already. I thought you were still going for Yamato." Mimi promptly turned and socked him hard on the arm. Ken winced and rubbed his arm while slowly inching away from her, everyone else around them just broke down laughing.

"What do you think of him, Yamato?" Yuu was the last of Yamato's band mates. 'Yuudai' was his real name, but he told everyone that he disliked it and insisted on being called 'Yuu' instead so that's what everyone did. Why was he so picky about his name? He wouldn't say.

Yamato frowned and laid his chin in his hand. "I'm not sure. He seems interesting--"

"Don't you mean stupid?" Daichi interrupted. "After that stunt he pulled today in class I highly doubt that we're going to be seeing very much of Taichi Yagami." Mimi just made a face. "Will you be quiet? Mr. Tokayama couldn't possibly expel him because of one little incident." Mimi pointed out and she did have a point. The guy had just arrived today; it would make the school look bad if they expelled him without even giving him a fair chance.

"Well, I heard that he already got kicked out of five other different schools. He got kicked out of his last school because he set fire to one of the classrooms."

Yamato blinked in surprise, "You're serious?"

"I'm dead serious. It's all true."

"Ooooh, I like bad boys." Mimi giggled.

**. . .**

Strangely enough Taichi Yagami had seemed to disappear after that day, a week had passed and no one had seen him since then. Yamato couldn't figure out the reason why he had just stopped coming to school but everyone else on the campus had come up with their own assumptions. Taichi had a reputation for cutting school and causing trouble either on campus or on the streets, he was a born rebel.

Yamato and his friends were hanging outside, using what little time they had before the bell rang to talk and to visit with one another.

The bell rang and almost everyone groaned. "I guess it's time to go in." Daichi said pathetically and everyone nodded, heading inside. In the hallway everyone began to split up and Mimi was the only one still walking to Yamato since they did go to the same classes but Yamato stopped at his locker for a minute. "I have to get something real fast. You can go ahead." Before Mimi disappeared around the corner she turned to Yamato. "Don't be late." She told him in a motherly tone. The tone that screamed: **I am serious**.

"I won't." It didn't take long for the hallway to empty out. The sounds of classroom doors sliding open and then slamming shut echoed along the walls. The silence that followed soon after and stillness seemed oddly comforting to Yamato. He had been used to this kind of feeling for years, empty and hollow. He stood there a moment then realized that he couldn't remember what he had stopped to get any longer. Mimi had fondly called him a "scatterbrain" since kindergarten because he never could think straight for longer than a few minutes instead he always allowed his mind to wander.

He sighed and closed his locker door then started down the hall towards his classroom.

Yamato was about to round the corner when suddenly he was roughly slammed against the lockers with a loud thud, knocking his head up against one of the knobs on the lockers. His head was head was spinning and he couldn't quite tell what was going on but he could feel someone push up against him, crushing his chest and making it hard for him to breath. Yamato struggled to push whoever it was away from him. He started to say something but a hand quickly shot out and covered his mouth.

"Be quiet." Someone hissed and Yamato could feel the person's breath on his neck, which made him shudder.

Yamato's vision began to finally focus again and now he could finally see who had grabbed him. It was Taichi Yagami. But…what the hell?

"It's you--" Yamato said or at least he tried to because Taichi still had a tight grip over his mouth.

"Quiet!" Taichi whispered again harshly. Yamato didn't quite understand what he was going to do to him but one thing was for sure he wasn't about to just stand here and do nothing. Why the hell was he attacking him anyway? They had never even spoken to one another and after one day in school he vanished for a week! Was this guy crazy? Yamato was about to move again but before he could Taichi removed his hand from Yamato's mouth. Yamato opened his mouth to speak but froze abruptly when Taichi's fingers gently brushed against his lower lip. Slowly his fingers traced his right cheek then found their way to the back of Yamato's neck. Taichi pulled Yamato closer and he couldn't help but blush. This had never happened to him before, this sensation that he felt inside was so alien to him. He was so confused and he wanted him to stop so he could at least get his head straight and figure out what was going on but it didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening to him. Yamato tried to pull away but Taichi was a lot stronger then he appeared to be and kept an iron grip on him.

"Stop…!"

Taichi paid no mind to Yamato's plea and began to plant small kisses along the nape his neck while running his hands through his blonde hair.

"Stop!"

Taichi did stop after that and turned his head towards the corner of the hallway then he looked at Yamato for a minute. He released his hold on the other boy and turned, slowly heading down the hallway. Yamato watched him go until he disappeared around the opposite corner. Yamato was completely dazed, flustered and a little disgusted. _What the hell?_

"Ah, finally. I've found you!"

The voice startled Yamato and he whipped his head around only to find Mimi standing right beside him. Had Taichi known that she was coming? Was that the only reason why he stopped?

"M-Mimi…" Yamato's cheeks were still burning and his clothes were somewhat ruffled from his less the pleasant first encounter with Taichi. Mimi stared at her friend for a moment then her eyes suddenly went wide; mouth agape as if she had seen a ghost. "You…have a h-hiccy on your neck…" Yamato slapped his hand over his neck and blushed even more, if that was even possible. "Now, Mimi, I can explain…" he began but didn't have the chance to finish because Mimi instantly began to bombard him with questions. "Who is she? Is she prettier then I am? Why are you keeping her a secret from us? Especially me!" Yamato couldn't help but sigh. Did she really need to ask? "And why do **you **have it, shouldn't she be the one that has it? Well, then she must be very dominant, huh? I can be dominant you know!"

"Mimi, it's not what you think, I'll explain it all to you later…can you please just keep this quiet and don't tell the guys?" Yamato asked.

Mimi crossed her arms and seemed to be considering it. "Fine, I promise I won't say anything, but you have to promise you'll tell me who she is later, okay?" Apparently she still didn't get what he had said but the fact that she promised to keep quiet about what she had seen was good enough for him, at least for now.

"…Okay."

Yamato knew that this would only end in disaster; he could only imagine how Mimi would react when she found out that the person who had given him the hiccy was in fact a **he **not a **she**. He didn't even know if he could tell her yet because he was still very confused.

**. . .**

School had ended and Yamato was just collecting his things before he headed out the door and back home. Somehow he had managed to hide the red mark on his neck throughout the day. No one else had noticed it, which Yamato was thankful for.

His brother had already left; he had told his brother that his mother needed him home early so they couldn't walk home together. It was getting late anyway, his mother was very protective of her son and she always worried when he got home at night.

Yamato hadn't seen Taichi again that day after the hallway incident. Apparently he hadn't attended his assigned classes. No one could recall seeing him actually leave the campus and the faculty had searched the school for him but found nothing.

"Going home?" Yuu asked walking up behind Yamato, grinning. He turned to his friend and smiled slightly. "Yes, I just needed to get my stuff."

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No, no…that's all right."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Thanks anyway."

Yuu turned to leave but then stopped. "Are you sure you're all right? You look a little pale."

Yamato didn't say anything for a while. He wanted to say, no, scream that everything wasn't fine. He wanted to tell his friend everything just as he wanted to tell his brother everything but he just didn't have the courage to. "I'm fine, really. I'll see you at practice, okay?"

Yuu nodded then he left.

Yamato was now alone in the classroom. He looked out the large windows inside the room and stared out at the sun slowly beginning to set over the horizon. The sky was painted all sorts of different bright colors, orange, yellow, and red. The room was filled in the sun's light and warmth but he felt no warmth within him. He felt cold and numb which was a feeling that he was used to getting. He wrapped his arms around himself and kept staring outside, lost once again in his own thoughts.

He suddenly was brought back into reality when he heard someone out in the hall call his or her goodbyes to a friend, their voices and footsteps echoed along the walls.

Yamato grabbed his backpack and headed out of the classroom. As he made his way down the hallway he heard more footsteps. He turned his head to where he had heard them but saw nothing.

_Am I imagining things?_ He wondered.

No, he couldn't be imagining the sounds because he heard footsteps again.

"Hello?" he called but he didn't expect to get an answer. Yamato turned and followed the noises until he reached the staircase leading up to the rooftop. He slowly made his way up the stairs and opened the door. Yamato saw nothing at first but he turned and walked to the right of the rooftop and was startled when someone suddenly said: "Oh, it's only you."

Yamato quickly turned and saw Taichi sitting with his back against one of the walls, a cigarette between his lips.

They both stared at one another, not speaking for the longest time then Yamato decided that now that he had found Taichi he would ask about what happened in the hallway. It was weird, if he had any sense at all he would have been too creeped out to even be near this guy after what he had done earlier today, but Yamato was weird to begin with, wasn't he? "Why did you…I mean--"

"Because I felt like it."

It was a simple reply to Yamato's question and it seemed painfully obvious that Taichi didn't want to discuss the matter any further but Yamato wanted a clear answer. Not some half-assed "Well, I don't know" crap. He glared at Taichi. "That's not an answer." Taichi snorted and took the cigarette out of his mouth, holding it in between two of his fingers. "Well, tough shit. That's the only answer you'll get from me, pretty boy" Then he went back to puffing and breathing out clouds of white smoke. The truth was that really he had been interested in Yamato. He had watched him for a whole week, some people would automatically assume that Taichi was stalking him but he wasn't, he was just watching him. He cut classes and avoided other students while he followed the other boy around the school. Everything about Yamato seemed especially attractive to him. The way he walked, talked, moved, everything. It was strange.

"What are you doing up here?" Yamato asked, finally. He wondered if he would get insulted again, but he didn't care. Maybe if he kept talking he'd get Taichi to eventually spill his guts.

"I like watching the sunset, do you mind?"

It seemed that Taichi wasn't the kind of person that liked to strike up a friendly conversation, which made things seem even more uncomfortable. Taichi was really a mystery to Yamato. After a long silence, Yamato was considering just leaving because this wasn't going anywhere but then Taichi began to speak again though his eyes never left the sunset. "I heard that you have a band." Yamato was surprised that he had known about that but tried not to show it, "Yes. We aren't very good but we're getting better. It's always been my dream to make it big in the music world."

"Having meaningless dreams and wasting your life trying to achieve them is childish. I hate people who go on about dreams. What is there to dream about? This world is full of broken promises, lies, betrayal and death. Why bother trying to achieve something more or why bother even living when everything you do will be in vain? We'll all die someday and unlike most I don't fear death. I welcome it." Taichi dropped his cigarette to the ground then walked right past Yamato without saying another word. Yamato just watched him leave, thinking about what he had said. What had happened to him that made him feel so bitter and angry? Yamato didn't know but he wanted to find out more about Taichi Yagami.

To be continued…or not…

(A/N: Okay everyone, that's the end of Chapter one. What do you think? Is it horribly bad? Good? Really, really good? I need opinions! So it would really, really help if you guys reviewed. But please, keep in mind that I like constructive criticism not flames.)


	2. Confrontation

**(( Okay, it's been like…years since I've written anything for this site, but after reading this one again I felt the sudden urge to continue it. So, if you read it tell me what you think. Oh yeah, and I plan on fixing up the first chapter after noticing some of the horrible errors so…bear with me. If you see any in this chapter just let me know. Thanks! )) **

The Difference Between You and I

Chapter 2

It had been a while since their conversation on the rooftop. Yamato had gone home that night and he couldn't get what Taichi had said out of his mind. But what was with his attitude? The guy had practically molested him in the hallway and even had the nerve to give him a hiccy! What the hell? With that nasty memory coming back to haunt him Yamato felt more angry than enamored with Taichi's mysterious and rebellious demeanor.

_His fingers in my hair…and his lips on my neck…_

Instead of being repulsed Yamato found himself feeling rather excited, and embarrassed. Where had his anger gone? He was a guy for pete's sake! Guys doing that kind of stuff with each other was totally unnatural. Ugh, his head was starting to hurt now.

Yamato was standing in the locker hall completely lost in his thoughts. Someone came up beside him and lightly touched his shoulder. Yamato jumped from the sudden contact. "Easy." A redheaded boy held up his hands to show that he meant no harm. He was shorter than most high school students, but he was perhaps the smartest person in the school. Koushiro Izumi was his name. Koushiro was completely obsessed with computers and spent most of his free time either in the computer club he had founded or at home fixing them as a way to earn some extra cash. Yamato had first met Koushiro freshman year in biology class and despite having very little in common they formed an unlikely friendship. "Are you all right?" Koushiro seemed a bit worried, but that wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Yamato was becoming more of a space case lately. He just couldn't seem to focus on anything in particular. Not on homework, friendships, not even the band which was making him suffer all the more. What he couldn't figure out on top of everything was why he was making himself go crazy like this. So Taichi was ignoring him like he didn't exist, but that shouldn't bother him, right?

Koushiro was still waiting for an answer and Yamato snapped to attention. "Geez, earth to Yamato…where were you just now?" Koushiro asked. Yamato closed his locker and gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry, my mind is wandering today. I think I might be nervous about the test in our next class," he said, which was a lie. Lately he had become really good at telling lies. The only one who could still see right through him was Mimi, but she had an annoying talent for that. _"I have eyes on the back of my head!"_ she had exclaimed one day when they were younger. _"I can see everything! And I know you so don't try and hide things!" _…Mimi had always been really bossy.

Yamato and Koushiro walked together to their next class where a test was waiting for them. Taichi was sure to be in class today too. The funny thing was that lately he hadn't been skipping school at all. He was still as cocky and defiant as ever, but despite the rumors Taichi wasn't as stupid as everyone assumed. His grades were actually above average and no one was shocked more than his teachers. During most of the lectures Taichi either appeared to be sleeping or daydreaming while he stared out the window the entire class time. He had been accused of cheating last week by his English teacher and had to retake his last test. Not only did he get a good score, but he scored even higher than last time.

As they approached the classroom both the boys stared in disbelief when they saw Taichi boldly standing outside the doorway with a lit cigarette between two fingers on his left hand. He took a long puff of it and exhaled a large cloud of smoke just as Yamato and Koushiro passed by him. Both Yamato and Taichi made eye contact for a brief moment then Taichi looked away from him. Yamato kept going and felt as if his heart had stopped for a split second. He let out an intense sigh and Koushiro followed up by saying: "I know! I can't believe it either," he said. Yamato stared at the other boy with a blank stare. "That guy, what is his problem anyway? I don't know why he's still here. If he keeps up this kind of…" the redheaded boy strained to think of a phrase appropriate enough. "…_idiotic_ behavior he's going to have a lot more problems in his life!" in the end Koushiro couldn't think of much to describe what he was thinking at the moment, but it wasn't new for him to rant a bit when he saw someone behaving badly especially in school. For the most part Koushiro was what they call "articulate" but once he gets going even he can stumble over his words every now and then. Anyway, at least now Yamato knew what Koushiro was talking about. Koushiro seemed pleased that Yamato seemed distressed enough to sigh at Taichi's behavior.

Oddly enough, the teacher wasn't in the classroom yet and just before the bell rang Taichi strolled into the classroom, apparently he hadn't been caught smoking. There was no denying that lady luck was sure hanging out with him today. She probably had his smokes stuffed down the front of her dress. At that Yamato couldn't help but stifle a chuckle. Yamato took his seat and tried to act natural. If Taichi was going to ignore him then Yamato might as well return the favor. Koushiro went to take his usual seat next to Yamato when Taichi cut in front of him and plopped himself down into the desk chair. Koushiro stood frozen for a second before frowning. "That is my seat," he said calmly. Taichi, who was wearing headphones around his neck, put them over his ears. The blaring music was so loud that students in the very front of the class seemed to hear it clearly.

"Can you _please_ move? These seats were assigned," Koushiro was trying in vain to be polite. Despite his ranting spells Koushiro was an incredibly subdued kid who never lost his temper, but today seemed different. "Hey, I'm talking to you…!"

Yamato looked to the front of the class. The teacher was still nowhere to be found. Where on earth was she? "Taichi," Yamato began and reached out to touch the other boy's shoulder. Taichi jerked away from him and that was when Koushiro ripped off Taichi's headphones and threw them across the room. Taichi's reaction was instantaneous and before anyone else could react he grabbed Koushiro by the neck of his uniform, thrusting him up over his head. Koushiro made a choking sound and his feet were dangling above the ground as he tried to fight back. "Stop it! You're hurting him!" Yamato leapt out of his own seat and rushed over, grabbing Taichi's arm. "Let him go!"

Other students in the room either stood up or just watched the chaos from their desks. That was when their teacher finally made her appearance. Obviously, she had been running late because her hair and clothes were in disarray. She noticed with horror what was going on in her classroom after she entered the room. "Children! What's going on?" she exclaimed. Miss Noita was a timid middle aged woman would who always wore her hair up in a tight bun and also wore tiny black rimmed glasses. People said she looked more like a librarian than a teacher. She was never very good with confrontations, but she didn't seem to have a choice. She moved in on the opposite side of where Yamato stood and attempted to break up the fight. "Taichi!" Yamato yelled directly at the other boy, who in turn glanced at him. He didn't seem angry at all and wore an expression of mild disinterest. After a moment he looked up at the squirming Koushiro and released him. Koushiro fell onto the ground with a thud, coughing and sputtering as he tried to catch his breath. "Are you all right?" Yamato knelt down beside Koushiro just as Taichi turned to walk out of the classroom without so much as a word. Miss Noita made a small noise of surprise when her student suddenly approached her without signs of stopping. Taichi shoved the woman back and she fell into a row of desks to the left with a cry. "Miss Noita!" A handful of students rushed to the woman's side to see if she was all right. The woman seemed slightly frightened and dazed, but not hurt much to everyone's relief. Taichi had already disappeared.

--

The school was in an uproar. Taichi had been taken to the principal's office and the rumors had already begun to fly. In the lunch hall, Yamato sat with Koushiro and a handful of friends including Mimi and his band mates. "I can't believe that punk," Daichi hissed. "Who does he think he is?"

Yamato said nothing.

"While I don't agree with him pushing a woman….I still think he's so cool!" Mimi sighed. Yuu made a face. "You've got to be joking…or you're sick in the head," he said. Mimi made a face. "I'm not sick! It was just a joke, dummy." Mimi frowned; she had never had the gift of cracking a good joke. "I think what he did was horrible, but there must be a reason why he acts the way he does," she said. Koushiro shook his head. "You're too kind hearted, Mimi. That guy is no good. Excuses won't help him at all; he's the way he is because he wants to be that way. Plain and simple."

"He's going to be expelled so why keep talking about him?" Ken said matter a factly. "He did push a teacher. He's as good as…" Ken made a motion as if to slice his neck with his fingers.

Mimi looked at Yamato, who had been silent since the incident in class. She was worried about him. She knew deep down there was something bothering him, but he had closed himself off recently. "Yamato, what do you think?" He blinked and looked at her. "What?"

Mimi sighed. "I wanted to know what you think about Taichi."

It was something he should have normally been able to answer without any hesitation if it was anyone else, but Yamato just wasn't sure what to think. "Yamato?" Mimi waved her hand in front of his face. "Uh, sorry. Listen, I've got a headache…I think I'll go to the nurse's office and get some aspirin," He got up and looked over at Koushiro. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked. Koushiro nodded slowly. "Are you?"

Yamato seemed surprised by the question. "Yeah, just the headache. I'll see you guys later…" he trailed off and walked away from the table.

--

Yamato felt better after he had taken the aspirin. Classes had been over for a while now. Yamato had accidently fallen asleep and the nurse had shaken him awake. The sun was starting to set as he made his 

way down one of the hallways on the second floor. He took a moment to glance out at the pink and orange sky, soon falling prey to his wandering thoughts. He turned back to his locker a moment later and grabbed one of his textbooks. He crammed it into his bag as he started to walk towards to stairs to head to the first floor. He paused momentarily with his hand on the railing. Suddenly, he began to wonder if perhaps…Taichi was on the rooftop. Yamato hadn't been up there since their last meeting. He was hesitating and he was getting frustrated with himself. Why was this such a big deal anyway? He was just curious. That's all! With a quick turn Yamato raced up the stairs all the way up to the roof. He threw the door open, breathless, and stepped out into the cool evening air. He glanced around and saw no one.

_Yeah, right…why would he be here? For all I know he's already gone and I'll never see him again._

Yamato felt a slight twinge of pain and the overwhelming feeling of confusion flooded him.

"Oh." The voice sounded just a bit surprised, but ultimately detached.

Yamato's eyes widened slightly and he turned his head to see Taichi standing just inside the doorway. He had a lollipop in his mouth and rolled it with his tongue as his eyes pierced right through Yamato. "What are you doing up here?" Taichi walked over and stood almost directly in front of Yamato. Their noses were only inches apart and Yamato had to pull away because he felt uncomfortable. "No reason, I just needed some air…"

"Why come here?"

Yamato put his hand on the strap of his bag and squeezed it slightly. "Why do you care? And besides, why are you still here? After that stunt you pulled I'm surprised you didn't leave here in handcuffs." It was an extreme statement, but he was angry and didn't really know what he was saying. Taichi frowned and it seemed it was also beginning to get upset. "What did you say?" his voice had an edge to it and he spit the candy from his mouth.

Yamato felt himself tremble slightly, and felt mortified. He was a guy…but why was he acting this way? Every time he was around Taichi he began acting differently. He wasn't afraid of him though. No way in hell. "Why did you provoke Koushiro? Better yet, why did you have to go so far and attack him! I know he shouldn't have grabbed your headphones like that, but you shouldn't have acted that way. And Miss Noita…" Yamato originally had been staring Taichi in the face, but with those eyes glaring at him like that he found his gaze drop to the ground. By the time he looked up Taichi was in front of him again. "What I do is no business of yours…but you know what? I wanted to teach that smug little bastard a lesson, that's why I did what I did." Taichi kept moving forward and backed Yamato up against the fence surrounding the roof. "I do what I want when I want and if someone gets on my nerves…I deal with them." Taichi put his arms on either side of Yamato's head so there was no escape. Yamato braced himself, thinking at any moment he was going to get punched, but to his surprise he felt Taichi's lips suddenly and violently press up against his own. Yamato made a sound he didn't recognize as his own and moved to shove Taichi away, but he felt his body begin to melt. The odd taste of tobacco and the lingering taste of the lollipop made for an interesting combination to say the least. Yamato's senses were almost overwhelmed when he felt Taichi's tongue slip into his mouth. The kiss lasted only for a brief moment, but to Yamato it had lasted for ages. He felt his knees start to buckle beneath him, but to his surprise Taichi grabbed him and kept him upright.

This time Yamato found the strength to push Taichi at away. He grabbed a hold of the fence with his other hand and glared at Taichi. After he regained his composure he began to rub his mouth angrily with the back of his hand while Taichi watched him with an odd little grin. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Yamato demanded, but his breathlessness betrayed him.

"I felt like it." It was the same response as last time when Yamato asked about the incident in the hall. Yamato shrugged and began to walk towards the doorway. He had had enough. Taichi grabbed his wrist before he could get very far and when Yamato turned his head to yell at the other boy Taichi put his finger to Yamato's lips. "By the way, I'm not going anywhere." Yamato seemed surprised and Taichi laughed. Was this the first time he had heard him laugh? "That teacher told the principle she wasn't hurt and that she didn't want to be responsible for destroying a student's bright future…and so on and so forth. Basically a lot of bullshit, but the principle listened to her crap and gave me a slap on the wrist. Detention for the next six months and suspended for a week, but I'm not going to be expelled." Taichi began to grin again. "Are you happy?"

Yamato pulled away, seeming all the more furious. "Are you kidding? I couldn't care less," he said. "And stop touching me and--"

"Kissing you?"

Yamato couldn't help but blush. "Y-yes!"

"I can't," Taichi said and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. He proceeded to light it and take a puff.

"What the hell does that mean?" Yamato demanded. Okay, he had once had confusing feelings about this guy in front of him, but now he felt they had been all cleared up. Taichi was nothing more than a douchebag. A lying, violent, molester of a douchebag. Nothing he could say would make him feel any different.

"I want you," Taichi said very plainly.

…Nothing could make him feel any different…right?

--

**(( So…what do you guys think? Give me opinions, please. ))**


	3. Love triangle?

The Difference Between You and I

Chapter 3

( **Note:** Just a warning. This chapter is a little darker than the previous ones towards the ends. I don't want to ruin anything for you so let's just say that it'll definitely get more mature from here on out. I thank you for reading and please enjoy the new chapter. )

--

Yamato could only stare at Taichi blankly. Had he just heard him right? "T-that…" he began to say, but words failed him. _Reject him. Flat out! _He opened his mouth to give his usual spiel about not having time for a relationship and that he appreciated, but couldn't return the feelings. This should be ten times easier than the situations that had him turning down the girls who had confessed to him. Taichi was a **guy**. "I don't know what's wrong with you, seriously. But I don't want to be mixed up in your games. In case you haven't noticed we're guys and what I _think_ you're suggesting is--"

"You think I don't know we're both guys? I don't care," Taichi replied, nonchalant. Yamato was dumbstruck. This really had to be some kind of game to him. And apparently the whole purpose was to torture him and makes his life miserable. Five hundred points. Yeah, Yamato sure as hell didn't want to play this game. "There really is something wrong with you," he said. Yamato attempted to shake free of Taichi's grip, but he still refused to release him. "Let go," Yamato said coolly. "What? So it never crossed your mind to fuck a guy before?" Taichi said, staring off into the distance. Whoa, this had really turned from bad to worse. Where the hell had he gotten that from?

"Who ever mentioned anything about that? You really are twisted!" Yamato said heatedly. He was beginning to lose his temper. Taichi looked up at him, well; actually it was more of a glare. He pulled Yamato over to him and seemed to be attempting to kiss him again, but this time Yamato retaliated. He turned his face away from Taichi's and sunk his teeth deep into the other boy's wrist. Taichi didn't make much noise, but he released Yamato's wrist. Yamato didn't wait to see what kind of a state Taichi was in and turned and ran for the stairs. He ran until he was finally at the first floor. He was slightly out of breath, but he wasn't about to stop and rest. He needed to get out of here. Yamato headed for the exit of the school and was surprised to see someone standing in front of one of the doors. The sunlight coming from outside blinded him momentarily and he couldn't tell who it was until he came closer.

"Hey." Takeru wore a big smile on his face and it only grew as Yamato approached. "What are you doing here?" Yamato had assumed that Takeru had headed home. It was already so late and his mother would probably start to worry soon. "I was waiting for you. We were supposed to walk home together, remember?" Oh, right. They had planned to walk home together. Takeru seemed rather disappointed and Yamato couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. He had completely forgotten. "I'm sorry," he said. Takeru stared at him a moment. "It's all right, but—what's been going on with you lately?" Yamato managed not to let his expression betray him. That was at least in his control if nothing else was. "I've just been really stressed out lately," he admitted. "About…?" That was when Yamato remembered that Taichi could come downstairs at any moment and he would probably be angry. This wasn't the place to be chit chatting. "We'll talk more on the way." Yamato quickly ushered his younger brother out the door and the two of them began their walk home. Every now and then Yamato would glance over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed.

After a moment of silence, Yamato began to wonder if perhaps Takeru was going to drop the subject they had just touched on at school. "Yamato, are you going to talk to me about what's going on?" he asked. _Fat chance, I guess._ Yamato sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Maybe telling the truth would be good for him. He hadn't told anyone what was on his mind recently and it was beginning to get to him. "…I've been having some run ins with this guy…he's crazy and he won't leave me alone so I guess I'm just having a tough time," he said. Okay, so he had chosen to leave out all the gory details…he didn't want to expose Takeru to any of that. If only God would be merciful enough Yamato would have loved to forget everything that had happened up until now himself. "What is he doing?" Takeru seemed worried and Yamato was starting to regret having said anything at all. Having his little brother worry about him was the last thing he wanted. "It's nothing! He's just following me around and giving me a hard time. I can handle it so don't worry." Takeru made a face. "I'm serious," Yamato added quickly. Takeru nodded and seemed satisfied, at least for the time being. "…Thanks." It was barely a whisper, but Yamato had heard it. He looked over at his brother. "What for?" he asked. Takeru flashed him another big smile. "Thanks for being able to talk to me. I was worried for a second that you didn't trust me anymore…"

"Takeru…"

"Hey! Did you want to come over for dinner?" Takeru suddenly asked, excited. "Mom's making pasta tonight and I'm sure she'd be happy to see you." With the look that Takeru was giving him Yamato had no choice but to give in. Once Takeru flashed those puppy dog eyes even the devil himself would become a saint. "All right, all right."

--

"You seem kind of out of it," Mimi observed. "I mean—more than usual!" she added with enthusiasm and patted him on the shoulder. Yamato just sighed. That was Mimi for you, always the sensitive one. "Thanks," he said under his breath. Yamato and Mimi were in the library with the rest of their class looking for material to put together a paper. Their English teacher had been surprisingly generous this time around and allowed them to pick a subject of their choice as long as it was approved by her first. Yamato had chosen to write about music and, of course, Mimi had chosen fashion as her subject. For the most part, it had been a good day. Actually, it had been a good couple of days because Yamato had successful attained ninja status. He had skillfully dodged any and all situations that might possibly leave him near Taichi or worse…alone with him. It had officially only__been about a week and a couple of days, yes, but Yamato felt accomplished and without all the stress of having to deal with Taichi's misguided crush left him feeling much better. After their last confrontation—and the biting, he was sure that if he continued to stay away from Taichi he would finally get the message and leave him alone.

"You ready to sit down?" Mimi asked. Yamato nodded and tucked the book he had chosen under his arm. They each picked up a pile they had collected on a nearby shelf and chose an empty table in the middle of the room to begin their reading. Yamato quietly began to go through the first few pages of one of his books when he noticed Mimi staring intently on something just behind him. "What?" he said. Mimi slouched down in her chair until her chin was floating just above the surface of the table. "There's this girl—she keeps staring at you!" she whispered…well, _sort of. _Mimi's attempt at whispering was always at an audible level that everyone in the room could hear.

Yamato stared at her. What, another female admirer? He turned his head slowly. He didn't even have to ask Mimi which girl it was because he spotted her almost immediately. The girl was standing in the entrance to the library. She was dressed in a different school uniform and he recognized it as belonging to a very famous private school. She looked about their age and was pretty in a tomboy-ish kind of way. Her hair was an unusual fiery red color and it was cut very short. The girl was staring directly at Yamato, but her expression was different than what he had expected. Girls who usually gaped at him wore "funny, gooey" looks as Mimi would have put it. This girl stared him like he was some kind of specimen in a lab. An experiment that was meant to be observed and studied and nothing more. "Who is she?" Mimi asked, stealing glances at the girl every now and then. She looked like she was trying to be inconspicuous, but was she failing miserably. "Wait is that the one--" Mimi gasped suddenly. He could only assume she thought that this girl was the one who had given him the hiccy. Mimi held her hand over her mouth in outrage. "With a girl like that?! Come on, Yamato--!" her tone had raised considerably and half the students in the library had turned to stare. Mimi looked around and gave a nervous little laugh. The male librarian shushed her loudly from his desk and Mimi blushed with embarrassment. Yamato shook his head. "You've got it all wrong. I have no idea who that girl is," he said quietly.

"Oh yeah? Why is she staring?" This time Mimi sat up straight in her chair, her past embarrassment long forgotten.

"You've got me." There was no point in trying to figure out _why _she was staring or who she was either. What he did know was that she was a student from another school and was probably here just for a visit. All he wanted to do was get back to work…

"Hey," a voice said. Yamato felt someone lean in over him. The red haired girl was staring down at him with an unreadable look on her face. "What's your name?"

"Yamato."

The girl mumbled something under her breath and then back away slightly. "Can I talk to you?" it didn't sound like much of a request, it came out as more of an order. Yamato seemed to hesitate and she added: "It's important." Yamato nodded and stood from his chair. Mimi did the same, but the girl shot her a look as if to say: **you're not invited.** "It's all right, I'll be right back," Yamato said, trying to be the peace keeper. Now was not the time for Mimi to engage in some meaningless cat fight. Mimi seemed upset that she wasn't allowed to come along regardless, but she sat down though not without complaining under her breath. As Yamato followed the girl outside he was already mentally preparing himself for an earful from Mimi when he got back.

The girl led him outside to an area out in front of one of the garden. She stopped under a tall tree and turned around so that she was facing Yamato. The two stood in silence for a while and Yamato was about to ask her what all this was about when she cut him off before he could even begin. "I didn't ask you out here to confess to you or anything," she said.

Oh, at least she's honest. "So, how can I help you?" Yamato offered. He was trying to be polite, but from her sudden change in expression it seemed she was under the impression that he was being patronizing. "Look—" the girl said. She seemed very uncomfortable and Yamato didn't know why. "I came here today because I heard this is where my boyfriend decided to come. We were attending school together, and then all of a sudden out of nowhere he disappears without a word." Yamato stared at the girl. Had he randomly been selected to be this girl's counselor? Why was she telling him this? The girl had been looking away from him for a few seconds now, but when their eyes met again her gaze was almost searing. "I've been trying so hard to make sense of all this. I finally found out where he was and asked him why he left…do you know what he told me?"

Yamato didn't know what to say. As far as he was concerned he was just there to listen and what she had just asked him was rhetorical.

"He said he came here because he was interested in someone else!" The girl wrapped her arms around herself like a protective cocoon as if to shield herself from her pain. Her dark eyes began to well up with tears. It was easy to see that she was beginning to unravel. In the library she had seemed like such a collected girl, but right now she seemed so fragile. "Hey…" Yamato tried to reach out and to…do something, anything. Even now after all the "I'm flattered" put downs he had had to do over time he still didn't quite know how to handle crying girls, but he figured that a shoulder to do the crying on was a good place to start…maybe? The girl backed away from him in a flash. "Don't touch me!" she almost spat out. Yamato held up his hands in front of him to let her know that he meant no harm. He was just really, really confused. "Why? If it had been another girl—"

Yamato started at her with a blank look. "What?"

"You--Stay away from Taichi!"

The name she hurdled at him had the same effect of a brick going through a glass window. His train of thought shattered instantly. He couldn't think at all. The girl began to sob quietly and rubbed her eyes furiously with balled fists. Curious spectators had stopped to watch the little tragedy unfold and before long a teacher who had been passing by came over. "What's going on here?" he said. Yamato looked at him, feeling slightly dizzy. He snapped out of it a moment later. "Nothing, sir." He didn't really have the energy to tell the truth or even to lie. The teacher turned to the girl and took her gently by the arm. "Come with me, young lady," he said. He led her away and they disappeared inside one of the buildings leading to the administrative offices. The girl turned her head and glared at Yamato with her swollen, tear stained face before the door shut behind them.

"Yamato!" Mimi came out the library and stopped alongside of him. She tried saying his name again, but he didn't respond. This time she tried shaking his arm. "What on earth happened?" she asked. From the look on her face she seemed concerned. "Was it a confession gone awry?" This time Yamato turned to look at her for the first time and cracked a small smile. "Do you even know what _awry_ means?" he said in a soft voice. Mimi frowned and whacked him hard on the back. Yamato lurched forward from the force of it and winced. That would leave a mark. "You jerk! How stupid do you think I am? Of course I know what it means!" Seeing this display of friendly abuse the spectators began to shuffle off to class or wherever they had previously been headed. Mimi looked over her shoulder to make sure most of the lookie-loos had gone before she turned her attention back to Yamato. "Are you all right?"

He nodded, but it was almost a half nod. He didn't want Mimi to worry, but he felt like crap right now. From what he could gather, through no fault of his own he had been dragged kicking and screaming into some kind of twisted love triangle. So, Taichi had a girlfriend…or used to and left her high and dry. Why? Because he was pant-chasing at some other school on a whim? He had left on his own. If that was the case then the infamous story of him getting kicked out of his last school was probably just a rumor. But more importantly how had his name been brought up in all this? No matter how hard he tried to escape it seemed that Taichi was everywhere and would continue to burrow his way into Yamato's life unless he did something drastic. But what? "Heeey!" Mimi prodded him in the cheek with her perfectly manicured fingernail. "Ouch!" Yamato gently swatted her hand away. "Off in your own little world again? Geez, you can't keep this to yourself forever. Tell me what happened."

And he did. Though he carefully shaped the story into something less dramatic and earth shattering. He told Mimi that there had been a misunderstanding and that the girl had gotten upset. "And…?" It was all too clear that Mimi wasn't falling for his vague story hook line and sinker, but what had he expected? This was Mimi…the reigning "Princess of Gossip." Mimi chewed carefully on a small piece of seedless watermelon while she took her time to think. Yamato had decided to wait to tell Mimi about the "event" until lunch time. He had hoped that the commotion in the room would distract her and eventually she would lose interest. He was praying for a miracle at this point. "Man, that sounds horrible—" Daichi chimed in loudly while he massacred a blueberry muffin. Yamato's band mates had joined them a few minutes ago and had already heard some of what had happened in the halls and in class, which irritated Yamato to no end. Their school wasn't huge, but it wasn't small enough to have every second of his school life broadcast for everyone to gossip about. "The girl sounds like she was nuts," Yuu added. "Did she seem…off?" he turned his attention to Yamato who just shook his head. "Actually, guys, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Aw, come on! You promised!" Mimi whined, shaking her fork at him. "I said I'd tell you what happened, and I did. There isn't anything more to say." Mimi took another bite of watermelon and glowered at him. That was fine. Yamato was too agitated to bicker with her anymore about this. Ken, who had been quiet for most of the exchange, cleared his throat. "So, about our new gig—"

Daichi leapt up out of his chair, sending muffin crumbs flying. "Whoa! You mean we got in?" That was a rough translation of what he said because his mouth was full. Yuu pumped his fists of victory…don't ask. "That's awesome," Yamato felt a little of his stress leave him suddenly. "What time and what day?" Ken made a motion as if to straighten a tie that didn't exist at his neck. "Well, gentlemen. We've been booked for this Saturday night at 11:00 PM sharp. We go on after another local band. It's another opportunity to shine, am I right?" Ken held his left hand high and hi-fived each of his band mates. "Hmm, what kind of place are you playing at?" Mimi asked. "It's that coffee shop. Muy Loco for Beans," Ken replied and Daichi snickered. He always laughed every time they said anything with the word "beans." Mimi whipped out a little pink notebook to jot down the information. She was the self appointed president of their fan club and she attended every one of their shows without fail. "Got it," she said cheerfully. "Mind if I bring a few friends?" she asked as if it were even debatable. "Why not?" Ken said, all smiles. Though Mimi spent most of her time with Yamato and his friends she was one of the most popular girls in school and had a legion of girlfriends at her beck and call. If she needed "girl time" there was always someone available because the guys absolutely **refused** to go clothes shopping and get their nails done even when Mimi tried to bribe them.

After a moment of comfortable silence Daichi leaned over and carefully began to massage the muffin on Yuu's tray. "You going to eat that?"

Yuu made a face and Yamato burst out laughing.

--

School had just ended and thankfully Yamato hadn't run into Taichi. Yamato had overheard a few girls talking in the hall while he went through his locker and they mentioned Taichi being caught smoking in the bathroom. That would explain why he hadn't been in Math class today. Yamato swung the strap of his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the classroom and towards the exit. As he approached the front gate to the school he noticed that Ken and Mimi were waiting for him. Yuu and Daichi had their respective clubs to attend to so they couldn't meet up with them today and Takeru had to go home early today to help care for his mother who was ill. "Want to walk together?" Ken asked. "Not today. I have to drop by the store to pick up some stuff for dinner," Yamato said. His dad had been complaining all week about not having a decent meal to sustain his "life force" (it seemed that he had gotten into some weird book lately) as he had called it and that he would keel over soon. If only. Mimi looked disappointed, but smiled a moment later. "All right, we understand," she said with a wave of her hand. Her pink hair fluttered in the breeze. She flashed a peace sign and shoved Ken along. "I'll call you tonight," she announced. Yamato waved goodbye to them and they disappeared around the corner. He adjusted the strap on his shoulder before setting off in the opposite direction.

The store he stopped at was a few blocks away the apartment complex where he lived with his dad. He came here so often the old woman who owned it knew him by name and would often throw a few vegetables or some meat with his purchase for free. Tonight he would make a nice steak, potatoes and a green vegetable for a side. A nice hearty meal. That should be enough "force" to sustain his father's life for at least another day. Yamato paid for the ingredients and said his goodbyes to the old woman. "Yamato--" the old woman croaked. Her voice was shot from having smoked far too many cigarettes in her lifetime. "Go right home now," she said like a worrisome grandmother. Yamato smiled at her. "I will," he said. "No lollygagging, you hear?" she said, but this time with a slight edge. The old woman was usually very cheerful, but her expression was serious. Yamato nodded and went out the door. The automated door hissed shut behind him. That was strange.

Yamato took a quick peek into the plastic bag he held and reached inside to pull out a leaf of cabbage. He hadn't eaten all day and he was starving. He eased it into his mouth as he walked, but stopped momentarily to reach into his pocket to get his keys. The apartment wasn't much farther and he wanted to get inside before his dad could stop him at the door. If he hesitated even for a moment his dad would corner him into trying to bribe the old woman at the store to let Yamato buy beer for him because he was too "tired" to go out and get it himself. Ridiculous. His father was a stubborn character and it seemed like he would never change.

Yamato yanked the keys out of his pocket and they made a light jingling sound. A part of his key chain popped off and dropped to the ground. It was a bell that Mimi had given him for his birthday two years ago. Apparently they had been "all the rage" when she had gotten it for him and now she was constantly trying to get him to let her replace it with something else. "It's a crime to keep something from a forgotten fad!" she would tell him, but Yamato wouldn't let her touch it. He liked it just fine.

Yamato bent down to pick it up and at that moment the handle to the plastic bag broke. All of the ingredients for his dinner went sprawling onto the sidewalk. Yamato began to collect the food, cursing under his breath. He was too preoccupied to notice the figure approaching from behind.

Someone grabbed him suddenly and twisted his right arm painfully. Yamato started to yell out, but whoever was behind him shushed him. "None of that," said a voice and it belonged to a man. The voice was coarse like sandpaper. Yamato glanced around quickly to see if there was anyone who could help him, but the streets were empty and the sun was quickly disappearing. Before long it would be completely dark. "Stand up. Come on now, be a good boy and do as you're told." Yamato righted himself and when he did he felt the shock of the edge of a knife pointed at the small of his back. The stranger led him down an alley and when they were dead in the center, away from wandering eyes, he shoved Yamato hard against a wall. The stranger fumbled nervously as he tried to go through Yamato's pockets. First the front and then the back then he told Yamato not to move while he used one hand to rip the shoulder bag away from Yamato. It fell to the ground with a soft thud. "All right, turn around." Yamato was released, but still faced the wall. He realized he should be frightened, but he felt calm and that was good. If he remained calm than he was sure he'd get out of this okay.

"Turn around!" the robber said more harshly, but did not yell. The last thing he wanted to do was attract attention that much was certain. Yamato did as he was told, but kept his eyes pointed down. He figured the worst thing he could do was to look the guy in the eye. He didn't want to set the man off. There was a moment of silence before the robber pointed with the knife at the bag at Yamato's feet. "Pick it up. Get the wallet," he ordered. Yamato slowly did as he was told, careful not to make any sudden movements. He removed the wallet from the inside pocket, set the bag back down and held the wallet out for the robber to take. For another long moment nothing happened and suddenly the robber seized Yamato's face with one hand and forced him to look up. The robber had a ski mask over his face, his eyes were cool and collected and Yamato could swear he saw a smile twisted up behind the dark mask. He was much bigger than Yamato had imagined and much stronger.

"You know—" the robber began quietly. His breath smelled horribly, like alcohol and something rancid. Yamato tried to turn his face away, but the man pushed him back against the wall so hard that Yamato's head cracked against the concrete and he saw stars. "I hadn't noticed before, but you're _real _pretty." The man's breathing became heavy. "Like a girl," he added. The hand with the knife caressed Yamato's cheek gently and Yamato was beginning to feel sick. With one fluid movement the stranger pushed Yamato to the ground and was on top of him before Yamato had a chance to escape. They two began to struggle and Yamato freed his hands, attempting to punch his attacker in the face. The knife bounced away from them in the struggle and with his hands now also free the man took hold of both of Yamato's wrists and pinned him down. The man was five times bigger and weighed much more than Yamato so it was difficult to fight back. He found himself easily overpowered and could do nothing but lie helpless beneath the huge man. The man used one hand to hold Yamato's hands above his head and lifted his ski mask. He dipped his face down and began to take in Yamato's scent before dragging his tongue along the length of Yamato's neck. Yamato let out a horrified scream but the man quickly muffled them with one big hulking hand. He pulled out a dirty handkerchief and stuffed it into Yamato's mouth, gagging him.

With another quick movement the man tore Yamato's shirt open, exposing his naked skin to the frosty air.

All his pride discarded Yamato's eyes began to well up with tears. They came freely seconds later and he let out another muffled scream for help that no one would hear.

The man was amused by his tears. "You really are a girl, ain't you?" he said. He began to fumble with his belt and the zipper on his pants and Yamato clenched his eyes shut. Oh god. Why was this happening? Was he going to be raped and murdered tonight? Oh god.

Moments later there was a sharp crack and a startled cry. The crushing weight that had been on top of Yamato suddenly shifted to one side. Yamato's eyes shot open. He lifted himself up and saw the robber crumbled on his side, unconscious. Yamato quickly crawled away from his attacker until his back was against the wall of the alley. Yamato pulled the rag from his mouth. He coughed and sputtered, leaning forward slightly to catch his breath, but he couldn't seem to get any air. He was hyperventilating. He heard movement in front of him and he panicked, thinking it was his attacker, but it was someone else. Standing in front of him with his back to him was a boy with a brick in his right hand. The boy was dressed in torn jeans and a sleeveless black shirt. He seemed to be waiting for make sure that the robber was down for the count and he was. The right side of his head was cracked open and bleeding. Regardless, the boy kicked the side of the man's chest continuously with what seemed to be all his strength until he was satisfied that the man would remain in the hospital for a long time. "You sick, bastard," the boy muttered under his breath. The boy dropped the brick onto the ground and turned.

That's when everything went black.

--


	4. Fire

The Difference Between You and I

Chapter 4

Yamato woke with a start. He was covered in sweat and his mind was whirling. He looked around and realized that he had no idea where he was. The next thing that hit him was the ache resounding throughout his entire body. He moved to wrap his arms around himself and realized that he was undressed, lying naked in a large bed with sheets the color of blood. He looked down at his wrists and noticed the black and blue blotches already beginning to wrap around his skin. He touched his left wrist slightly and winced.

In that moment, everything came crumbling down on him in an instant. The fear and panic also returned in full force. Yamato leapt out of the bed and grabbed the sheet to wrap around himself. He searched for his clothes on the floor, in the corner of the room, on top of the dresser by the wall. Nothing. He moved to go towards the door when it suddenly opened. Yamato sprang back like a frightened animal and tripped over a pair of boots lying in the middle of the floor. With a thud, he fell to the floor, landing on his back. He heard footsteps, the clank of a tray meeting a surface, more footsteps and moments later someone was standing over him. Taichi crouched down, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "So, you're finally awake," he said. Yamato sat up and crawled away from the other boy until his back was against the side of the bed. "What are you doing here?" Yamato demanded.

Taichi cracked a smile like Yamato had just said a silly little joke then shrugged. "I live here," he said, motioning to the space around them. He stood and went over to the dresser where he had left the tray. There was a plastic bottle of what looked like medicine, a glass of water and a box of bandages. "What…" Yamato began, but Taichi silenced him with a quick wave of his hand. He took a few tablets from the plastic bottle and replaced the cap before he made his way back towards Yamato.

Yamato reacted and was on his feet in an instance, but had fallen over again seconds later. His legs had gotten caught in the sheet he had wrapped around himself and he lay sprawled on the wooden floor on his side. Taichi looked down at him like he was staring at some pathetic little animal. Actually, watching him jump around like that was quite funny, but in the process he was only hurting himself. "It seems like you really like it down there, but I'm going to have to ask you to get back into the bed," he said, but Taichi acted like he had never _**asked**_ anyone politely to do anything in his life. Taichi reached out and grabbed a hold of Yamato's arm.

"_Don't touch me!" _

Taichi released Yamato suddenly, as if he had been burned, and stared at him. Yamato's eyes were wide with fear and he was trembling. The sudden physical contact had been a shock to his system. It wasn't only his mind…his body remembered the attack all to clearly and had reacted on instinct. Taichi looked away. "Tch."

So that was how he was going to act, huh? He moved again and gathered Yamato into his arms. Did Yamato take this action lying down? No. Hell no. One thing he could have done was protest weakly and struggle a little. Taichi had run into that before with girls. They say they don't want your help, but they really do. It was cute. At the very least a sane person in this situation would realize that Taichi was really only trying to _help._ What did Yamato do? Punch and kick. Not cute at all.

In the struggle, Yamato scratched the side of Taichi's face until he was flung onto the bed like a rag doll. "Crazy asshole," Taichi breathed, wiping the blood from the cut on his face. Yamato sat up with the sheet still around him like a suit of armor. He glared at Taichi. "I warned you," Yamato said. And he had, sort of. He had told Taichi not to touch him. "I don't need you help…" he added, under his breath.

"Oh?" Taichi put his cigarette out on the tray. He picked up the tablets and the glass of water and brought them over to the bed. The closer he got the farther Yamato inched away. Taichi held out the medicine and water. "Take it," he said and his tone implied that it wasn't something Yamato had the option of considering. It was an order. Yamato looked at him with an expression that clearing laid out his defiant state of mind.

"**No,**" was what that expression said.

"Either you take this or I force you to take it. There, now you have a choice," Taichi offered as if he were being very generous. Yamato seemed angry, but he whipped out his hand for the tablets. Taichi put them into his hand and Yamato put them in his mouth. He attempted to swallow them dry and began to cough when one of them went down the wrong pipe. Taichi handed him the glass of water and Yamato gulped it down greedily. When he had finished Taichi just looked at him with a pompous expression before uttering: "Idiot." And he smiled while he took the glass back and set it onto the tray. Yamato frowned in response. It was so obvious that he was getting some kind of weird kick out of ordering him around.

"Where are my clothes?" Yamato asked. He adjusted the sheet around him again. He felt uncomfortable sitting around a stranger's house without any clothes on. Yes, he and Taichi knew each other, but as far as he was concerned Taichi was still a stranger. Taichi had left the room momentarily so Yamato had thought that maybe he hadn't heard the question. "Washing," was Taichi's simple reply. He came over and sat down at the edge of the bed. He had a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a few cotton swabs in the other along with the box of bandages Yamato had seen on the tray earlier. Taichi turned and stared at Yamato.

"What?" Yamato said, staring right back.

"Let go of the sheet. You've got a wound on your back," Taichi said. He reached out to pull the sheet away, but Yamato pulled back. "Are you kidding? I'm fine!" He had a few bruises and he was sore, but there was nothing on his…

Taichi reached out again and this time he successfully ripped the sheet away. Yamato moved to bolt from the bed, but Taichi caught him by the wrist. Bad idea. Yamato cried out and was more startled then in pain. Yamato fell back onto the bed and Taichi rolled him over onto his stomach. Vivid memories from the attack began to resurface, tearing at Yamato's mind as they climbed out to rear their ugly heads. "Stop!" That man sitting on top of him, crushing him, the disgusting feeling of his tongue and the stench of his breath. Yamato had felt terribly ill and cold throughout the whole encounter. It had been the worst experience of his life. The last thing he wanted to do was revisit it so soon.

"Sto--!" He began to yell, but he suddenly felt Taichi's fingers on his back and went rigid, they were burning him…Taichi's touch was like fire on his skin. This sensation was completely different.

"Relax," Taichi said, his voice was barely above a whisper and Yamato had almost not heard him over his own heavy breathing. The burning touch left him momentarily and Yamato began to calm down slightly, then he felt a jolt of pain. "Ow!" He turned his head as much as he could in his current position and saw Taichi working with the alcohol and the cotton swabs. "I'm just cleaning it so it won't get infected," Taichi said. After he disposed of the dirty cotton swabs by throwing them into a small garbage bin by the bed he applied a bandage to the wound. The whole time Taichi had gently attended to Yamato's wound he had taken every last detail of the sight before him. Yamato's skin was much fairer than he had imagined. Such perfect, beautiful skin even with the light bruises and scratches. After a moment he noticed Yamato staring at him and he moved away and over to the dresser. He set the items he had used onto the tray.

"So, you were the one." Yamato was sitting upright again with sheet back in place securely around him. Taichi said nothing and seemed to be fiddling with the cap to the alcohol. "You attacked that man," Yamato said. Though that sounded wrong…unfinished somehow. _"To save me" _should have been tacked right on there, but he couldn't say it. Yamato had been attacked for no reason and almost been…no, he couldn't even think the word any longer. He remembered those terrifying moments vividly, but the end of the attack was fuzzy. He remembered closing his eyes and then the attack suddenly had stopped. When he had opened his eyes again the robber was on the ground, bleeding. Someone had been standing over him with a brick in hand. Taichi.

"How did you know where I was?" Yamato looked over at Taichi who stared back at him evenly. "I went out to buy some cigarettes. Just so happened that I passed by and saw some food all over the sidewalk. I thought it was weird that someone would buy all that and just leave it lying there." Taichi paused to stuff his hands into his pockets. He seemed to find retelling his account of things somewhat boring. "I heard some noises not too far away and I went to check it out. I saw him pinning you to the ground—"Taichi's expression changed then and he seemed irritated or even angry. He looked away for a second and the expression was gone as quickly as it had come.

Yamato remembered that he hadn't been taken very far, but he couldn't remember making very much noise until the end. In the beginning, he had hoped to get away from the situation by "doing the right things." Apparently, there was no right way to go about dealing with people like the man that had attacked him. It was amazing that Taichi had happened to show up when he did. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Even the word "amazing" seemed to be an understatement. It was a goddamn miracle. "That man, what happened to him?" Yamato asked and there wasn't a hint of emotion in his voice but inside he felt like screaming. "You beat him up pretty good."

Taichi nodded. "He was still breathing when I stopped."

"And?"

"I brought you here first and I went back."

"He could have escaped."

Taichi shot Yamato an irritated look. "Where the hell do you think my priorities are, asshole?" His tone was accusing and Yamato was surprised. He didn't reply and Taichi seemed to calm down a little. "He was still lying there when I got back…he won't be bothering you again or anyone else." Yamato stared at Taichi blankly. What the hell did that mean? "What did you do?" he asked. Taichi didn't reply and turned to leave the room. This was his silent way of telling Yamato that this is where their conversation ended. "Wait, damn it!" Yamato got off the bed, casting the sheet away. He grabbed Taichi by the shirt collar and slammed him against the wall. He glared into Taichi's dark and expressionless eyes. "What? Do you think I killed him?"

Yamato shook his head in frustration. "I don't know!"

"And what if I did?" Taichi shot back. "Are you going to tell me that you'd mourn a man who tried to rape you?"

"Of course not! I want to see him brought to the police…I want him arrested! I—"

"Yeah? And you'd be dragged into the police station. They'd drill you for hours on the attack. Where it happened, what you said, what he said, how he touched you…" Yamato released Taichi and clasped his hands over his ears. "Shut up!" But Taichi continued as if fueled by some unyielding, silent rage. "You'd get to see his face in a neat little lineup. There'd probably be some kind of trial. Everyone would know what happened, your family and friends…even if he did get put away. For how long? He'd be out before you knew it. Out there on the street and he might—"

"Shut the fuck up!" Yamato punched Taichi in the face. The other boy was pushed by the force of it to one side and he stopped himself from falling by standing firm. Blood trickled from the side of his mouth. He ignored it and looked at Yamato, cracking a small smile, but there was nothing in it. It was horribly empty much like Taichi's eyes. Yamato breathed in and out, trying to calm his own anger. How had things so quickly gone to hell? Even when the slightest bit of good was beginning to come out of Taichi he always seemed to screw it up. He wielded his actions and his words like a deadly weapon. What was he so afraid of? He had had enough. He needed to get out of here. If he stayed here any longer he would suffocate.

Yamato briskly walked over to the dresser and tore out whatever clothes he could find. He pulled a short sleeved blue shirt and a pair of khaki shorts on as quickly as he could and ran out of the room. Taichi made no move to follow him.

The building he found himself in was a two story. He went down the stairs until he reached the bottom level and passed a dazed middle age man in the hall. The man had a broom and a dust pan in his hands. He called after Yamato. "Hey there, young man, you'll catch a death of cold if you go out there like that!"

When Yamato was outside the chilly air struck him like a slap in the face. He stepped barefoot onto the freezing concrete and made his way out. Glancing at the street signs he knew right away where he was. He turned and headed down the sidewalk towards home.

--

Yamato realized he didn't have a key when he got back to the apartment. He couldn't tell what time it was or how many days had passed exactly. Taichi hadn't told him how long he had been unconscious. He reached up and knocked loudly on the door. For a few moments, nothing, and then he could hear someone shuffling around inside. The door opened and his father stuck his unshaven and sleepy-eyed face out. There was a steaming cup of coffee in his right hand and he was wearing his favorite blue bathrobe. Before his father could say anything, Yamato's hand shot out and he swung the door open and he was inside the apartment in seconds. He had barely made it past the living room when he heard his father calling out behind him. "Where have you been?" there was an attempt at a fatherly tone in his voice, but Yamato was in no mood. He was freezing and he was pissed off. He needed a change of clothes. Now. His father came up behind him just as Yamato slammed the door to his room.

"You've been gone for two days! Where were you?" his father's voice came floating from behind the door and a series of pounding followed.

Yamato originally had planned not to answer, but after a moment he said: "Out." Naturally, such a simple answer like that wouldn't efficiently explain his absence for two days. His father pounded on his door again and demanded that Yamato come out. Yamato glanced at the clock near his bed and it read: 4:00 AM. "Aren't you going to be late for work?" Yamato heard a kind of gasp or gargle…whatever it was. He heard his father shuffle away from the door. He went to and fro around the apartment before Yamato heard the sound of the front door opening. It made a loud creak and then he heard his father's voice. "We will talk about this later!" The door slammed and Yamato tucked his head between his knees. Finally, some peace and quiet.

But, Christ, two days.

Yamato grabbed an old shirt and pajama bottoms before making his way into the bathroom. He took a hot shower and felt a little better afterwards. Yamato went back to his room and collapsed onto the bed. He closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep, but his mind was still whirling. Yamato sat up and wondered what to do next. An idea came to him and instead of questioning it he got out of bed again.

If he couldn't sleep he might as well go to school.

--

Mimi was the first to spot Yamato in the crowd of students coming through the gate. She sat, cross legged on top of a ledge near the staircase leading to the front entrance to the school. She waited for him to get closer before she called out to him. The guys were too busy screwing around to notice. Daichi was content playing his portable gaming system while Yuu and Ken played a game to see who could slap the other first. It was a game of instincts they had said, but Mimi knew it was just an excuse to hit each other. Boys liked doing that kind of thing for some reason. Personally, she thought it was stupid. Thankfully, not all boys were so primitive. "Yamato!" He saw her and made his way over. "Hey," he said, trying to add some enthusiasm. Yuu and Ken turned away from their "game" and smiled at Yamato while Daichi just nodded, refusing to be torn away from his game. Mimi stared at Yamato a moment and he gave her a look. "What?" Hopefully her weird psychic "_**I know you**__"_ powers wouldn't activate and expose everything he was trying to cover up.

"Oh, nothing. You've _only _been gone for two days--" Mimi held out her hand and counted the number of offenses as she went on. "You didn't return any of my calls, and you look horrible..." she ended the last part with emphasis. Yamato shrugged. Yuu came over and wrapped his arm around Yamato's shoulder. A completely natural thing to do. Yuu liked to hang off people. He put his weight on Yamato as he leaned and Yamato tensed. "Don't!" he said suddenly before he could stop himself. In the past it wouldn't have bothered Yamato in the slightest, but he had reacted without thinking again. Yuu retracted his arm, startled. "Hey, um, sorry…" he said. Everyone looked at Yamato. Even Daichi was watching him quietly. "Uh, no. I'm sorry. I've been kind of jumpy lately. I haven't been sleeping much…"

"That explains why you look so bad," Mimi said, nodding. Again, the sensitivity of this girl astounded him. "And probably those dorky wristbands," Ken pointed out with a sly smile. He prodded Yamato in the ribs with his elbow, who reframed from wincing. Yamato had found a pair of black wrist bands he had worn a couple of years ago and used them to cover up the bruises on his wrists. He wore a long sleeved shirt to cover everything else, but it would be for nothing if he didn't keep his behavior in check. He didn't want his friends to notice anything out of the ordinary if at all possible. "But, that still doesn't explain why you didn't call me," Mimi said. Right, Mimi had told him before she had left the day before yesterday that she would call him later that night. He reached instinctively into his pocket for his phone and he realized that he didn't have it. He tried to remember what had happened to it, but was drawing a complete blank.

"I think I lost my cell phone," Yamato said.

Mimi shook her head and sighed. "Did you get insurance on the phone?" she asked. He shook his head. It was too expensive for him to get it insured. And a missing phone was currently the least of his worries. "I'm sure it'll turn up eventually," he said though he wasn't very confident that it would.

"Happens all the time," Yuu said. He should know. He was the king of misplaced property. Very rarely was he entrusted to hang onto anything of value because in a matter of moments it would disappear and you would never see it again. It was a strange phenomenon. Yuu was like a black hole. "You'll find it where you least expect it!" Daichi exclaimed and suddenly let out a cheer of victory. "Yeeeah! I beat the boss! Oh my god! Look at my score!" He was being very loud, but his cheery attitude seemed to brighten everyone's mood even Yamato's. "That's great, Daichi," Yamato said.

The bell rang and with a dramatic moan from the guys they turned to head inside the school.

--

It was the middle of the day and P.E. had rolled around. Yamato took his gym clothes into one of the stalls in the bathroom and changed there. As he was coming out Ken had startled him. The other boy had been waiting for him on the side of the entrance. "Did I scare you?" Ken chuckled. "Why'd you change in the bathroom? Got another couple hickeys your embarrassed to show?" Yamato thought for a moment and nodded, but said nothing. Of course, Mimi had told them all and God knows how many others. If that was what Ken wanted to think then who was he to stop him? Besides, anything was better than trying to cook up a random lie to cover up the ugly truth.

The two of them walked out of the gym and onto the field where the class was playing touch football. Ken seemed enthusiastic to join. Daichi came running up to them, panting and heaving from the sudden excursion. "Come on**" –pant- "**Let's demolish those fools! Muwa**-" –pant-** "uwahaha!" Apparently, Daichi was still revved up from his ultimate achievement in the gaming world.

There was a loud _**crack!**_ and the boys looked towards the field just as someone was tackled, hard, to the ground then a fight broke out. The teacher began to blow his whistle loudly and raced over. The other boys murmured to each other as it seemed that someone might be hurt. The teacher pulled the two boys involved to their feet and began to yell at them. One boy in particular didn't appear to be paying attention at all.

Yamato felt an odd sensation rise up inside of him.

The other boy looked over at Yamato. "Kamiya, are you listening?" the teacher yelled, furious. Taichi looked back at the teacher, but showed no signs of replying or even nodding. "Oh, it's just him," Yamato heard Yuu say. He had just come over towards them, panting. He had been running around the field to warm up when the commotion had started. "What happened? I didn't see much," Ken said. Yuu motioned over towards the field. "I wasn't paying much attention either, but Taichi and Eichi were talking…Taichi must have said something nasty and that's why he got tackled. Brought it on himself." Daichi and Ken nodded in agreement. It seemed everyone shared the opinion that Taichi was a bad seed. "Look at his face. Someone probably got to him earlier too. Seems he's not as tough as he appears," Ken added. There was a large bruise on Taichi's cheek where Yamato had punched him and the scratch he had given him was covered by a bandage.

Yamato had assumed that Taichi wouldn't be at school today. He hadn't shown up for any of the other classes they had together. And yet here he was. It was silly of Yamato to think that Taichi would be so easily avoided. He was a presence that seemed to be everywhere. Inescapable.

The teacher grabbed a hold of Taichi's shirt and hauled him off the field. "You sit there. You're out of the game, Kamiya," he said. Taichi took a seat on the grass, but he seemed like the world would go on just fine if he sat out an entire P.E. class."Everyone else, go on! Get out there!" Yamato intended to sit the game out as well, but before he could his friends were pushing him out to the field. "Let's go, men! Fight! Fight!" Daichi howled and was accompanied by cheers from Yuu and Ken. Yamato just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

So, maybe one game wouldn't kill him. He could do at least one. While his body protested angrily he ran out and stood by his team. They formed a circle, but no meeting was required. The strategy was simple. Win, win…and win. They had a very straightforward approach to things. Their team controlled the ball and in seconds both sides began sprinting around. Daichi clasped the ball tightly and looked around for an open body to toss it to. Yamato was out in the center of the field in a flash despite his muscles nagging urgently at him. There was no member of the opposite team near him. "Yamato!" Daichi tossed the ball and it flew across the field before landing right in Yamato's arms. He turned to run and made it a few yards before someone from the other team moved in behind him. The other boy reached out to touch Yamato with the tips of his fingers, but tripped over his own feet. He tumbled forward and took Yamato down right along with him. The two of them crashed to the grass and the other boy ended up on top of Yamato.

Yamato felt disoriented, and for a moment he forgot where he was. He looked up and saw nothing but a shadow looming over him and the weight on top of him. The other boy leaned down to see if Yamato was all right and something snapped inside of Yamato.

"Aaaaahhh!" Yamato screamed and pushed the other boy off of him. Startled, the other boy crawled away just as Yamato's friends came to his side. They tried to calm him, but he didn't appear to recognize them. He was hysterical. He pushed away from the outstretched arms of his friends and moved to run as far as he could. "Yamato!" Ken managed to grab him. He took a hold of Yamato's shoulders and tried to shake some sense into him. Yamato cried out again and suddenly blacked out.

--

Yamato found himself in the nurse's office when he woke. He stared up at the ceiling for a while before he noticed there was someone beside him. Mimi peered down at him with a worried look in her eyes, but she sighed with relief when she saw that he was awake. "Thank goodness," she said. Yamato blinked. "What happened?" Bits and pieces were all he could recall. "You freaked out on the field. One moment you were playing football and the next you were screaming," she said. "Ken and the others told me," she added and for a moment she looked a bit uncomfortable like she had something on her mind and she was sure how to say it. That was truly a first for Mimi. She could _always _talk no matter what the situation.

"Where is everyone?"

Mimi sat back in the chair near the bed. "They had to go back to their classes. They've been with you for a while. Your brother came too, I just got here. Oh and--" she said.

Yamato interrupted her. "How long have I been out?"

Mimi shook her head. "An hour or two, not sure." She paused a moment. "They're really worried about you." Yamato's attention drifted back to the ceiling. "What happened?" Mimi asked. There was a moment of silence and she sighed. "Um, I'll be right back…" she said quietly. "I'm going to see if I can bring you something to eat." Mimi stood up and walked to the door. "I'll shut off the light so you can get some more rest." Mimi flipped the switch off and the light from the setting sun suddenly flooded the room in red. Mimi left and closed the door behind her slightly. When she had gone Yamato laid his hand over his eyes and took a deep breath. Great, now his friends definitely knew something was up and even his brother might begin to get curious. Sooner or later he would have to tell them the truth. He couldn't go on keeping everything bottled up inside of him forever. He sat up in the bed and got to his feet. He would find Mimi and tell her as much as he could. She was his best friend and she deserved an explanation. Mimi was a notorious gossip, but she was a good friend. If you asked her to keep something private she would do just that. He got out of the bed and made his way over to the door. Yamato took a deep breath and reached out for the doorknob just as he heard the sound of footsteps. A shadow appeared in front of the door.

"Mimi…?" Yamato said quietly.

The shadow paused at the door and said nothing, just waited.

"Listen, if it's all right with you…I just need to tell you something."

Silence.

"I know I've been acting weird. I've been under a lot of stress, and I think I'll go crazy if I don't talk to someone. Yesterday—after we separated I was on my way home and some guy just…decided that I was a good target. He dragged me into an alley and tried to rob me and then…rape me." Yamato paused and as far as he could tell he received no reaction from her. "Taichi was passing by and he got the guy before he could do anything. I was with him some time after that and I would have called you, but things got a little nuts. I'm still pretty messed up…that's probably why I acted like such a jerk to Taichi. He saved me and I didn't even say thanks. Still, he scares the hell out of me. I think the guy who attacked me is dead!" Yamato sat down and put his back against the wall near the edge of the door. He laid his face down into his hands. "I don't know what to do. I'm so confused, angry, afraid…I'm going out of my fucking mind!" A sobbed escaped his lips before he could stop himself. He muffled the next sob with his hands. He felt like crap and utterly ashamed to be acting in such a way, but it felt good to let some of this out.

The door creaked open. Yamato looked up just as fresh tears escaped his eyes. A hand reached down and wiped his tears. "Don't cry," said a voice. Yamato's eyes went wide. Taichi stood in the doorway, staring down at him, his expression was unreadable.

"You…!" Yamato moved to stand up, but Taichi knelt down in front of him and wrapped him up in a tight embrace. Even through his clothes Yamato could feel the maddening sensation of Taichi's touch. It was burning him, lighting him on fire. He wanted to demand that Taichi release him, but no words came. Instead he allowed Taichi to hold him in the empty room flooded with scarlet.

--


	5. Sway

The Difference Between You and I

Chapter 5: Sway

The embrace was brief, but it almost felt like an eternity. They each pulled away at the same time and looked at each other for a moment. Yamato didn't really know what to say. He had just spilled his guts to the one person he had never attended to say much of anything to. It was as if the universe was playing some kind of practical joke on him. Taichi moved his hand up as if to touch Yamato's face, but thought better of it when Yamato withdrew from him. Taichi pulled his hand away without a word and let it fall back at his side. "You seem okay," he said. Yamato made no motion to reply. Physically he wasn't doing too badly. The fall on the field hadn't done any real damage, but the state of his mind was another story. For a moment there, he really had lost it. What was worse was that it hadn't been a private affair. The whole P.E. class had had a front row seat to the unfolding comedic tragedy that was his life. Taichi stood to his feet and made a move to grab Yamato, but stopped himself again. Yamato blinked when Taichi instead held out his hand, motioning for him to take it. Yamato stared at the outstretched hand like it would devour him if he made any sudden movements.

Taichi frowned. "What? I'm not going to do anything to you," he said and sounded irritated. That was when Yamato understood. Taichi was attempting to be kind. What a shocker.

Yamato took his hand finally and was hauled to his feet. He quickly walked back over to the bed and took a seat on the edge. Taichi remained where he was by the door. "Why did you come here?" Yamato asked. He was tired. Everything that had happened in the last few weeks and in the more recent days was weighing on him like a ton of bricks. His life was beginning to unravel and he felt powerless to stop it. He had led an entirely ordinary life a little while ago, but everything had changed so quickly and it had all started to happen around the time that Taichi had first appeared before him.

"I was curious," Taichi said simply. "You blacked out and the nurse wasn't around so I went to find her. After that your friends came and they didn't seem to appreciate my company." Yamato looked over at him. "What? Don't tell me you—" Yamato's expression changed when he seemed to realize something. "…You carried me here?" Taichi nodded. Yamato was shocked, horrified even. He turned his gaze to the floor. He could just imagine how that had looked to the class and to his friends. Not only that, his friends must be wondering why Taichi of all people would come rushing to his aid out of the blue. As far as they knew, Taichi's only affiliation with Yamato was that they were fellow classmates. Not that, oh, he had a crush on Yamato or that he saved his life from some crazy pick pocket? Definitely not…or at least he was sure they didn't suspect anything yet. And even after all that they were still only mild acquaintances. Taichi was not his friend.

Yamato opened his mouth to ask another question, but at that moment the door to the room squeaked open. Mimi appeared with a tray of food in her hands and a cookie in her mouth, her eyes were pointed down to watch her feet. She had not been blessed grace and without a considerable amount of effort on her part she would often lose her balance, drop things, etc. Other people called it "cute" or that it was part of her charm, but in reality it was just a curse. Yamato had learned to naturally dodge and weave in the situations where Mimi would accidently knock into him or drop things, but even after knowing her for such a long time she could still manage to catch him by surprise. "Mmm!" Mimi had looked up seconds before nearly colliding with Taichi. She closed her eyes and sighed with relief, thankful to have averted disaster, and looked up at Taichi again with a curious glint in her eyes. She moved past him and set the tray down on the table near Yamato's bed. She took a big bite of the cookie before setting the other half on a napkin. "Hello," she said, her voice sugary sweet. Taichi nodded and appeared to be unfazed by her big, batting eyes. Mimi didn't seem distraught by his obvious disinterest and instead it appeared that she had accepted an undeclared challenge to her womanly charms. There hadn't been a boy yet that could resist her if she put enough effort in and to have a guy seem totally impartial towards her from the start was surprising. Almost shocking.

"I heard you were the one who brought Yamato here," she said to try and start a conversation.

He didn't say anything, but eventually Taichi did nod. So, he hadn't spoken, but it was a start.

"I believe the words Ken used were—_like a knight carrying his princess?" _Mimi giggled. Yamato blanched at the horrible phrase and moaned slightly. Oh my god, that's not what he had been expecting at all. He'd have to pay Ken back in full for that comment. He looked up and much to his horror he saw Taichi crack a smile and then he _laughed. _Bingo. Mimi smiled to herself.

Great, so as long as he was the topic of conversation, humiliating as it was, Taichi and Mimi could get along just fine. Just great. Yamato shrugged.

"Really?" Taichi asked after taking a moment to calm down. He was thoroughly amused and he could tell that Yamato was the complete opposite. It was written all over his face. Mimi nodded, and seemed pleased with herself. "I should thank you though. You really helped out," she said. She sat down next to Yamato and put her hand beneath his chin. He flinched slightly, but somehow her touch didn't bother him as much. Maybe it was because he had known Mimi for so long even after such a traumatic event he could still feel comfortable around her. Or maybe it was because she was a girl. "He appreciates what you did too, even if he doesn't show it really well. Right?" She looked at Yamato with her big brown eyes and smiled. He nodded and tried to return the smile as best he could. Suddenly, Taichi's expression changed and was no longer amused. In fact, he looked a little angry. Yamato had noticed it immediately, but he wasn't sure about Mimi. She had noticed too.

Mimi attempted to repair whatever she had done to make Taichi retreat back into his shell by trying to get him to stay with them. "I brought some food. Why not stay and chow down?"

"I don't think so." Taichi stuffed one hand into his left pocket and clutched something inside. "I should get going." He turned without another word and left the room. Mimi seemed disappointed and true to her nature she voiced it. "That was kind of rude," she said then after a moment she placed her hand over her heart and gave a dramatic sigh like a character in a romantic comedy that had just been struck by love at first sight. "He's too cute though." Yamato rolled his eyes. It was never hard for Mimi to disregard personality flaws when compared to someone's physical appearance. In her mind, if someone was pretty enough they couldn't be all bad. She had a bit of a warped perception of reality, but it was the mentality that she had grown up with. For better or for worse Mimi was who she was and made no apologies for it. She had her own personality flaws, but so did everyone and Yamato liked her regardless. Maybe the same could be said about Taichi. He certainly didn't make any apologies for who he was and would sooner trample the people who got in his way then change any part of himself. He was stubborn, rude, crude and a little scary. But just a second ago he had been…nice. Taichi had kept himself in check and hadn't done anything bad. Why?

"Yamato?"Mimi was waving a hand in front of his face.

Yamato came out of his daze. "Yeah?" Mimi shrugged her shoulders and gave an exasperated sigh. This type of pattern with Yamato had been going on for a little while so she was used to him zoning out, but that didn't make it any less irritating. "I was asking if you wanted anything to eat. I grabbed a few things from the cafeteria." Yamato glanced over at the tray. There was a bowl of soup, a package of crackers, a glass of milk, an apple and a couple of other things. "I'm not really hungry," he said and it was true. He hadn't had an appetite at all and he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten anything. "You need something in your stomach. How about just the crackers for now?" Mimi plucked the crackers off the tray and handed them to him. He stared at them and sighed. Yamato considered arguing, but from the look on Mimi's face he knew right away that it was a battle that he wouldn't win. "Just the crackers." He opened the bag and began to nibble on one quietly. He could taste the salt, but not much else.

So, Taichi might not be all bad, but Yamato had decided already that being around him wasn't a healthy thing. He needed to distance himself and that was all there was to it.

--

"You sure you're going to be all right?" Ken asked.

"I'm fine…for the 100th time." Yamato sat on a stool in the corner of the room, tuning his guitar. He didn't look up the whole time. He was too absorbed in what he was doing, and frankly he didn't really want to talk to anyone or think about anything in particular. Ken, Yuu and Daichi had been bugging him nonstop on the ride over to the coffee shop. They had been hesitant about coming tonight because they had said Yamato hadn't really been acting like himself. As Yamato had feared the incident on the football field had made his friends acutely aware that he wasn't his normal self. Takeru had tried to ask him if there was something more he wanted to discuss and Yamato had completely shut down. He felt guilty about it, but he wasn't ready to tell anyone yet. Though that time in the nurse's office he had truly intended to tell Mimi everything, but it's funny how fate works. Instead he had bared his soul to Taichi of all people.

All right, it was true that he had been a little moody, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Besides, this was another big night for their band. Every opportunity that they got to play in front of a crowd was a chance to get the exposure they needed and he wasn't going to let a little bout of depression stop them.

Wait, depression? No, scratch that. He wasn't depressed.

"Yamato!"

Yamato looked up and Yuu was standing in front of him. "Come on, they're calling us up." Yamato joined the others and they walked onto the stage. The place was packed with kids from their school. The crowd seemed restless and anxious for the show to begin. A handful looked like they had better places to be and couldn't wait to leave. More than half had mostly likely been contacted by Mimi, the president of their fan club and number one fan. She sat over on a stool near the wall with a group of friends surrounding her. She waved and called out to them as giddy as a kid in a candy store to hear them play. She prodded a dark haired girl who was sitting next to her in the side with her elbow and seemed to be teasing her about something. The girl blushed heavily and hid her face with her hands. Mimi giggled and called out again, but Yamato couldn't hear what she said over the noise.

Each of the guys checked their instruments even though they had already checked them over a hundred times before during set up. A nervous energy was building up inside of Yamato. It happened every time he got on stage. It was a good energy. It felt like electricity running through his body, charging him up for the performance just ahead.

All right. Showtime.

Yamato turned to address the crowd. He adjusted the microphone and breathed out. Heads began to turn and silence rolled over the room in anticipation. Yamato glanced back at his band mates and nodded. Seconds later the melody burst through the silence and enveloped the room. They played loud…it was always better blaring loud so you could hear the music in every fiber of your being. Yamato leaned into the microphone and began to sing, the lyrics pouring naturally from his lips. He felt himself unwind almost immediately. All of the built up stress that had seeped into him seemed to have evaporated within seconds. He felt as light as a feather. The weight that had been crushing down on him had been lifted, everything was as clear as day. The crowd erupted into a flurry of applause and excited cries. The immobile mass of people began to get up and move and sway to the music. Some danced together in the midst of the crowd while others clamored to get closer to the stage.

Yamato closed his eyes as the melody slowed suddenly. He whispered the lyrics to the song…very softly at first and then barely above a whisper before the crashing sound of music rose up again. He shouted out the lyrics and opened his eyes. In the chaos of movement all around a single face stuck out to Yamato and a second later it was gone, lost in the sea of bodies. He regained his focus in an instant and repeated the chorus as his voice rose up above the noise. The crowd responded with another series of screams and applause. The energy was overflowing in the room and it was damn hot. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of his face as Yamato leaned over the microphone again to sing the last of the song. The song ended abruptly and the place went nuts.

--

"We…were amazing," Daichi yelled out excitedly. "I agree wholeheartedly," Ken added. Aah, his friends were so humble. "Hey, we really blew them away, right, Yuu?" Daichi called. Yuu was standing near the edge of the stage. He simply nodded in reply. He had a huge smile plastered on his face as he stared at a little piece of paper in his hands. Apparently, the dark haired girl Mimi had been teasing earlier had a crush on Yuu. She had given him her phone number before she had left for the evening. Needless to say, Yuu was in heaven. "Lucky bastard," Ken said with a smile. Daichi nodded in agreement and sighed. "Cheer up. We did great tonight…" Yamato pulled out his case and placed his guitar inside. "Yeah, yeah. Easy for you to say, Yamato. You're up to your eyeballs in girls. We were badass tonight, but I'd like to talk to some girls…that's what makes the life of a rock god complete! Girls!"

"Amen," Ken murmured. Yamato shrugged and rolled his eyes and that was when Daichi began to ramble about the circle of life and more about girls until Ken told him to shut up.

Mimi had been talking to another friend just in front of the stage. She happened to overhear some of their conversation. "No worries, Daichi. I will comfort your bleeding heart!" Mimi jumped onto the stage and came running over to him then stopped abruptly. "Er—on second thought. You're all sweaty!" She turned on her heel and walked away from him. She was just teasing, but Daichi looked mortally wounded. He brightened up again after a reassuring pat on the shoulder from Yuu and they began to get their equipment together. They went out the back door to get to their van. Yamato loaded up one of the amps just as a group of girls came wandering towards them. "Hey!" a blonde girl in a short red skirt and a black blouse smiled at them. Her two friends flashed similar smiles, flirtatious and friendly. One girl with short, dark hair and rosy cheeks had her gaze set on Daichi while the other girl with long, sandy brown hair and freckles seemed interested in Ken. Yuu already had a cute girl of his own so he wasn't offended at being left out. He climbed up into the back of the van and watched the scene unfold with mild amusement.

"Oh, hey. So, aren't you glad you came?" Mimi approached the girls and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Apparently, Mimi knew these girls, but from her tone they didn't sound like friends. The blonde girl tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. It was really fun." She was talking to Mimi, but her gaze never left Yamato. She winked at him and he looked away. The girl came forward until she was inches away from Yamato, now completely ignoring Mimi. Yamato took a step back and brushed up against the bumper of the van. "Hi," the blonde girl said. "Hey." Yamato couldn't hide the awkwardness in his voice. "I thought you were really hot up there. My name is Natsuko." She paused momentarily to allow him time to introduce himself which he realized a little too late.

"Ah, Yamato." He offered his name abruptly. It was a common courtesy to say your name during introductions…no harm in that. She giggled at his reply and took his nervousness as just being shy. "So, I was wondering--"

Mimi cleared her throat to interrupt Natsuko as if psychically predicting her intentions. "So sorry, but I'm afraid we were just heading out. They can't make any other plans." Daichi, who had been talking to the girl with rosy cheeks, broke his conversation and had a blank look on his face. "What? No we don't."

"Aha, yeah. We do. Don't you remember? You promised you'd show up for that dinner at my house. I told you about it two weeks ago." Mimi was making a "shut up and do as you're told" face, but apparently it wasn't registering with Daichi. Not much did when he was distracted, especially by a cute girl. He was going to be in mortal danger very soon because Mimi was quickly losing her patience with him. Sensing the approaching doom Ken excused himself from his conversation with the sandy haired girl. "Yeah, Daichi…I just remembered myself," Ken chimed, ultimately saving Daichi from being attacked by Mimi. "It's important to Mimi. We already committed to it so we can't just back out."

Mimi's expression relaxed and she gazed at Natsuko innocently. "So, that's the way it is. Sorry." But she wasn't sorry in the least bit. Natsuko frowned for the first time, but seemed to accept the story without protest. "That's a shame. Well, maybe next time. I'll be sure to come to your next show," she said and touched Yamato's arm lightly. He drew back slightly, but she didn't seem to notice. With a graceful turn she walked away. Her two friends said goodbye to them and ran off to catch up with her.

Daichi sniffed and waved goodbye to the girls as they disappeared around the corner. "She was so _**cute**_," he mumbled, giving much emphasis to the last word. "There, there, big guy." Ken ushered Daichi into the side of the van and jumped in himself. They each said a goodnight to Mimi before Ken slid the large door closed. Yamato breathed a sigh of relief. He was happy to see Natsuko go. She definitely struck him as a stubborn personality and he was sure she would have pushed until she had gotten her way. At least Mimi had managed to diffuse the situation without much difficultly. "Thanks," he said to Mimi and began to load up the last of their stuff. He handed Yuu another amp.

"She's notorious for having multiple boyfriends. She uses them up like dirty tissue…it's like a hobby of hers," Mimi said.

"How charming."

"I know, right? Ugh, I just couldn't stand here and watch her sink her claws into you. I didn't invite her so she must have just heard the buzz around school. Sorry."

"No, thanks. Really."

Yamato nodded to Yuu after everything was inside the van. "So, I'm guessing there's no dinner?" Yuu said with a sigh. Mimi nodded and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, not tonight. My parents would freak…it's already so late. I promise you guys can come over tomorrow and eat as much as you want. I'll have a feast ready." Yuu grinned. If Mimi promised them a feast she was sure to deliver. She was the kind of girl that regularly sought perfection whether it was in fashion, meals or in appearance. The dinner was sure to be one to remember.

"Come on, Yamato," Yuu said. Yamato nodded. "I'll be right there."

"Night, Mimi." Yuu slammed the two doors to the back closed and began to crawl up to the driver's seat.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Yamato turned to head over to the front passenger side of the van. Mimi nodded. "You know it. Let's say…about noon?" Her ride pulled up behind the van. It was a long, black limousine and a chauffeur got out of the car to come and open the door for Mimi.

"Sounds good." Yamato watched her get into the car. The chauffer bowed slightly before closing the door and got back inside the car. The limo pulled away and disappeared around the corner.

Yamato jumped into the van and turned to look at his friends. "All right, gentlemen. Let's go."

--

So tonight had been a success. It had probably been one of the best shows that they had ever played. He couldn't have asked for a better night. Yamato peered over the packages of noodles on the shelf. There were six different kinds, all the same, but different price tags. His dad had come home from work a little while ago and had asked him to make a traditional Japanese dish. Udon was simple enough to make and it was traditional, right? It seemed like the perfect weather for it anyway. It just seemed to get colder and colder as the days flew by. Yamato grabbed the cheapest package of noodles and tossed them in his basket. He turned to make his way to the check out when he noticed someone standing near the magazines. The person wore a hooded sweatshirt and appeared to be fumbling with something inside it.

Was he stealing?

The nerves began to prickle up in his stomach, but he ignored the voice screaming in his head to leave it alone. "Hey," he said. The person in front of the magazines didn't respond and was either ignoring him or hadn't heard him. 'Hey!" Despite his better judgment, Yamato reached out a trembling hand and pulled on the person's shoulder, turning him around.

The boy stared at him with unblinking eyes. "What?" Taichi pulled the hood down and Yamato noticed that he had headphones over his ears. He looked down and noticed the thing that Taichi had been fumbling with was the zipper of his sweatshirt, which was stuck. He hadn't been stealing. "Uh…" Yamato didn't know what to say. Somehow "I thought you were stealing something so I was going to call you out" didn't seem like the best response. Yeah, that would sound really dumb. What the hell was wrong with him anyway? Becoming a hero and busting shoplifters in the local shops was not one of his current goals. After everything that had happened recently it would be safe to assume he'd want to be completely unnoticed, but here he was grabbing someone he had assumed was a thief. Maybe he really was going crazy.

Taichi pulled the headphones down so they hung around his neck and the melody drifted softly between them. "Sorry," Yamato said finally, but much to his annoyance Taichi had gone back to trying to fix his zipper and wasn't paying attention. Yamato watched him mess with it for about 50 seconds then let out an aggravated grunt before he set his cart down and pushed Taichi's hands away. "Let me do it." He struggled with the zipper for a little while, but finally success. It had been caught on some material, but worked just fine now. Yamato smiled and looked up only to find Taichi staring at him. Yamato realized he still had his fingers on the zipper and abruptly pulled away.

Taichi chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just you were so determined to get this unstuck--" He motioned to the zipper on the sweatshirt. "You actually weren't afraid of me for five seconds there."

Yamato blinked. Well, that was true. Since he had been attacked he had been nervous or uneasy around most guys if you excluded his temporary insanity just minutes ago. He had kept his discomfort at bay while around his friends, but it was awkward around strangers. His social skills with a majority of girls hadn't improved much either. Aside from his regular friends and his brother, Takeru, Yamato had pretty much isolated himself from damn near everyone. Yet somehow for the few seconds he had been messing with the damn zipper he had completely forgotten about everything. His discomfort, the ugly memories of the attack...

"Yeah, I guess." Yamato turned, putting an abrupt end to the conversation as he walked up to the counter. He paid for the ingredients for his dinner and turned to leave. He was a few steps from the entrance when he heard the door swish open again.

"I went to the concert tonight." Taichi stuffed his hands into his pockets and moved to the side of the entrance of the store. So, that face in that crowd that Yamato had seen. It had been Taichi. "Oh." Yamato couldn't imagine the kind of feedback he'd get from Taichi. Would he say the same kinds of things he had said to him on the roof after they had first met? That it was a waste of time? That he should just wake up and stop playing music?

Taichi pulled a single cigarette from his pocket. He lit it and breathed out the smoke. It mingled with the whiteness of his breath from the cold outside. For a moment, it seemed like Taichi wasn't going to say anything more. Irritated, Yamato shrugged and began to walk away. "Listen, I think we did pretty damn great. So if you have any complaints you can kiss my—"

"You were fucking amazing."

Yamato stopped; surprised by the compliment, but more shocked at how such a simple phrase could send a jolt through his chest. He turned around, his expression unreadable. From Taichi's perspective it looked like he had taken the compliment rather awkwardly, but Yamato's eyes flickered up to meet his and he smiled. It was a tiny smile, but Taichi had noticed it, and his heart honest to God skipped a beat. Yamato's cheeks and nose had already turned red from the chill of the air and he shifted to one side, still staring at Taichi. "…Thanks," he said.

It was Taichi's turn to be surprised. His deer in the headlights expression was priceless and Yamato couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was like music to Taichi's ears. This was the first time he had heard him laugh since they had met.

They stood together in silence and it was Yamato who finally broke it. He cleared his throat and looked away. "I had better be getting back. I have to make dinner." His fingers were going numb and when he moved them slightly he felt a tingling sensation run through them.

Taichi nodded. "Right." He placed the headphones over his ears. "Night," he said before turning to head in the opposite direction.

Yamato turned to head back to his apartment. Halfway down the street he surprised himself by looking back over his shoulder only to see Taichi standing on the sidewalk, watching him for a moment before continuing on his way.

--

( Hey, guys! So, that's the end of chapter five. What did you think? No, seriously. I want to know. Hearing your opinions is what keeps me going with this story. It over joys me to read the reviews you guys submit after reading each chapter. If you have any other comments, things you really like, things you don't…please include them in your review. I would be happy to read them. The next chapter should be due out in the next week or so. I write them as I have free time on my days off so I'll try to keep the wait short. Thanks for reading! )


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